Final Fantasy: Beyond
by Eve2
Summary: Two years after Iron Will, Squall and the others are trying to get back to a somewhat normal life, but the knowledge of a mysterious portal leads them into the world of Spira, where Vira has been all along. Paths cross, evil rises, and destiny looms ahead
1. Afterthoughts

Disclaimer: All characters and situations from the games FFVIII and FFX are property of  
Squaresoft. I do not claim ownership of any of them. However, I do own any characters that I   
created myself or my co-author, ie. Vira Eronwil, Dorin Vachon, Kravis, ect. That's about it.   
You know the drill. We do this for fun and no profit. Yadda, yadda, yadda.  
  
  
  
Final Fantasy: Beyond  
  
by Eve and Nightstalker  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
Afterthoughts  
  
1. Committment  
  
Everyone talks about committment, and family. Concepts that Squall Leonhart had never   
been too familiar with. Yes, he committed to his missions as a SeeD, and had to commit to being  
the Commander, and everything else that pertained to his job. Squall was committed. But family,  
that was a concept he wasn't too sure he knew about. And committment in the sense of a lasting,  
life long lasting, relationship.  
  
Don't get him wrong, he loved Rinoa. More than he could express into words. He had tried,  
a few times, but he always lost grasp of what he was trying to say. He had known her for almost  
three years, and had spent every one of them in a relationship with her. Ever since he met her,  
he knew there was something special about Rinoa Heartilly. In her deep brown eyes, her streaked  
dark hair, her smile, the way she brought the best out of him. There was not much about her he  
didn't love. Like anyone, however, Rinoa was apt to get on Squall's nerves from time to time.   
The times when he needed peace and quiet and she'd be going on and on about something. She was  
lively, and talkative. Both of which were a contrast to him.  
  
He still loved her. God, did he. He still didn't understand why, and how it really could  
be, but he did. And she knew it. He didn't have to say it, though he had tried a few times, and  
succeeded even less, but he knew that she could tell. He could see it in her big, beautiful eyes.  
  
Then there was the conversation. Aw, damn Seifer and Quistis for getting married so   
quickly, and damn Selphie and Irvine for getting engaged so quickly. Now Squall was left behind,  
with Rinoa waiting and expecting The Conversation, or The Proposal any day now. His friends'   
rush into their relationships only made him more confused.  
  
He loved her. She loved him. Why not just ask her?  
  
Well, maybe because he wasn't ready. Was she really the one for him for the rest of his  
life?  
  
Of course she was. That's what his heart would tell him constantly. But he had nagging  
doubts if he was ready. Yet, the way his friends were acting, he didn't have long to contemplate  
this.  
  
There was always that conversation when Quistis asked Rinoa when she was getting married.  
Rin sure had it out with Squall that night, feeling bad that she was the only girl in their group  
of friends who wasn't married or getting married. Squall tried to point out that Zell wasn't  
engaged, only dating the library girl, Lilly, but that made no difference to her.   
  
"Dammit, Squall, I know you love me. What difference would it make if you just asked?"  
  
She'd said that. His only answer was that he didn't want to be rushed into it by anyone,  
his friends, or her. And he'd always reassure her, he'd ask her someday. Just...not today.   
  
It was never today.  
  
And usually it was enough for Rinoa. He loved her for that. She'd let it go for the   
moment and everything would be fine again.  
  
But the more Squall waited, the more nervous he got. He knew he'd have to do it sometime  
soon. He just hated the formality of it all. He loved her, she loved him. Wasn't that enough? He  
guessed a ring and a ceremony made it more official for girls. They liked that sort of thing.  
  
Well, not all of them. That was a different story.  
  
Then there was the ring. Yes, he'd taken the first step and gotten the ring to give to  
her. Squall Leonhart wasn't the most romantic guy in the world, but he had ideas of what made   
Rinoa happy. Sometimes romantic creativity would hit even him.  
  
Sitting at his desk in his new office, Squall reached into his pocket, pulling out the  
ring. He never got a box for it. It was strictly custom made by Zell. He'd always been good at  
that. Getting a copy of Griever's ring was easy for Zell. With the adjustments Squall had paid  
for and suggested, Zell had been able to do it easily. Not without thinking that he should open  
up a jewlery store and getting a stern threat from Squall to not breathe a word of the ring to  
anyone. Zell agreed, but Squall knew better. It would probably reach Selphie by the end of the  
week, who would tell Irvine, who would tell Quistis, who would tell Seifer and Rinoa, and then  
Seifer would tease him about it.  
  
Some rivalries don't exactly go away. They just change form.  
  
Squall took the ring in his hands, looking at it and turning it slowly with his gloved  
finers. It was a replica of his Griever ring, but a lot smaller, to fit Rinoa's finger. It was  
gold, a drastic difference to the one she wore on her necklace. And in its eye was a small   
diamond. In its claws was a small ruby. Squall would've gotten bigger stones for it, but couldn't  
spend all the money he wanted on it. There were still other expenses.  
  
He was amazed at how Zell had been able to do it. Zell's skill with this sort of thing  
had been increasing every year. He made most of the weapons for new students at Garden these days  
and became the instructor to those who wanted to fight with their fists.  
  
Zell had told Squall how proud he was of the ring. And that Squall had come to him for   
the job. Said it made him feel special, a part of the family.  
  
They were his family. But starting one with Rinoa wasn't something Squall wanted just  
yet.  
  
And that's what kept him from giving her the ring. If she expected him to just up and  
be a father immediately, he wasn't going to do it. No way. He was only 20 for Hyne's sake. There  
was plenty of time to have kids...later. When they weren't so scary...and tiny...  
  
So that was that. He'd give her the ring. They'd talk about kids much later. Like when he  
was 30. Or even later than that...maybe not at all. Yeah, that'd be fine with Squall. He'd give  
Rinoa the ring.  
  
Later. Tomorrow.  
  
Squall put the ring back in his pocket. Today was a bad day to propose to anyone, even  
he knew it. He hated today. He'd only known her for a few weeks, but had felt that connection.  
A family connection. Like he understood her. Like she was...a sister. Not like Ellone, who was  
older and had looked out for him. More like one his age. Like a twin.  
  
Well, with the way she had acted, no one would've been surprised if that had been   
actually true.  
  
It had been two years, but he still missed her. He didn't know how it was possible to  
miss someone as a friend so much after only knowing her for such a short time, but he still did.  
Squall Leonhart was a man who would admit defeat from his emotions when he had to. When it came  
to his friends, he did.  
  
He could imagine what she might've said to him about this whole marriage thing. She'd  
probably call him nuts and say that if Rinoa made him happy, just go for it, and worry about the  
rest when it came. Live in the moment, plan for the future. That was probably what she'd say.   
  
Squall sighed.  
  
He would've wanted to talk to her about it. It was hard to talk to Zell about it. He was  
still in the dating phase. He still didn't understand where Squall was coming from.  
  
She had. Like Rinoa. They knew where he was coming from. But there was no way to talk to  
Rinoa about it until he was ready. So she would've been the best choice.  
  
Squall realized he was regretting the past again. He had a habit of it. He would look   
back and think of everything he missed, everything he wished he had. And then he'd feel bad   
about it. As Rinoa had said, he'd get that frowning look on his face, and hold his head in his  
hand as he slouched over. Some things never changed.  
  
But time still marched on. With or without his friend. The only one he'd ever really   
lost.  
  
Despite how little time he spent with her, Vira Eronwil was someone he wanted to call a  
friend. Hell, a good friend. They had accepted her into the group as she was, no strings   
attached. He had immediately respected her for her unusual weapons and status as a soldier and  
SeeD. Then she had earned more respect when she had stood up to Seifer on her first day in   
Garden. And after he had talked to her, she had earned his friendship, whether she knew it or   
not. He knew her type, he had been there. She wouldn't understand it until much later on. But she  
had, in the end.  
  
And no matter how many years, one, two, or ten, he still missed her, and what kind of  
friends they all could've been.  
  
He also felt bad for Dorin, who had been closer to her than he had. She had really let  
Dorin in, under those walls that Squall knew so well. He still had some of his own. But, Vira,  
she'd let Dorin in, maybe because he had never given up. He had pestered her and followed her  
until the very end. Everyone knew how much he cared about her. And people began to know that she  
cared for him two.  
  
Something meaningful could have come from that. Something like he had with Rinoa.  
  
If only they had found another way.  
  
That's what bothered Squall. No matter what people said, that it was all her decision,  
that there had been no other way, he still felt guilty that she had died. Like it was his fault.  
He was her leader, and her friend, and he had failed her. He never found a different was to stop  
Xana, and in the end it cost his friend her life.   
  
She was braver than he thought possible.  
  
She had deserved better than death and a small memorial every year.  
  
Squall slammed his hand on the desk. It thudded loudly and echoed through his office.   
Dammit, she had deserved better from him as a friend.  
  
Two years. It had been two years to the day since Vira Eronwil had taken down Sorceress  
...Xana...Naxa...Anarix, whoever she was, in the Silver Siren. It had crashed into the ocean,  
and all that had ever surfaced of her was her jacket. No one could search the Siren, the magic  
residue was still too powerful. Somehow, it was fitting. No one wanted to really search there,  
and find her inside. No one wanted to see it.  
  
After Squall would finish his paperwork, the endless stream of paperwork that annoyed  
him to no end, he'd head down to the Quad where Selphie was setting up a small memorial. Just  
the same as last year. They would get together, talk a little, and leave. That would be that,   
and people wouldn't think about her for another year, unless they had the odd moment where she'd   
pop into their minds.  
  
Somehow, that didn't feel right to Squall. But there was nothing he could do. All he  
could do was be there. Paperwork done in time or not, he'd be there.   
  
He wondered if Dorin would come this year too. Being Lord of House Vachon was bound to  
be more stressful than Commander of SeeDs. Would he have the time? Probably not. But Dorin would  
make the time. This was the one thing he'd make the time for. Other than this ritual, Squall had  
not seen Dorin more than once a year. Everyone was busy with their own lives. Busy. Busy.  
  
Squall checked the clock on his desk. Eleven o'clock in the morning. Time for him to be  
heading down to the memorial service. He stood up, patting his pocket with the ring inside.   
Squall had decided; tomorrow he would propose to Rinoa. That was all there was to it. For today,  
he would remember Vira, a friend he wish he had known better.  
  
2. Somber Memorial  
  
"It's very pretty Selphie," said Rinoa, smelling the one rose in a glass vase, placed in  
front of the memorial. She, Selphie and Irvine had been the first to arrive. Since this was   
during classes, no one else occupied the Quad at the time. The plaque was still shining and new  
looking, with each name carefully etched into it, with Vira's at the top of the list. The Quad  
was quiet, peaceful. It was a good setting to do it. Like it had been the year before. The lush  
green trees, and the soothing sound of the water lapping underneath the stairs was a compliment  
to the occasion. Benches were towards the other wall, where students usually just sat and chatted  
about teachers and homework during free periods or after classes. Now they were all empty, except  
for Irvine, leaning his back against the wall.  
  
Selphie smiled sadly. "Thanks. I figured anything bigger and it'd be offensive. And it  
had to be red. That was just..."  
  
"Fitting," Rinoa finished.  
  
Selphie nodded. "Yeah. Fitting." She took a seat on one of the benches a few feet away,  
sitting next to Irvine, who was fiddling with some string on his cowboy hat. Rinoa followed them.  
  
"Say, did he get here yet?" Irvine asked, without looking up from his hat.  
  
Rinoa shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't hear anyone come in yet."  
  
"He'll be here," Selphie stated. "He wouldn't miss it."  
  
Quistis and Seifer entered the Quad, taking a seat on the bench next to the other one.  
Even Seifer seemed a little subdued, for him. He made no sarcastic comments, just leaned back,  
balancing his left leg on his right. He hadn't stopped doing that. Quistis, on the other hand,  
sat up straight, her hands folded in her lap. She sighed a little and looked at the other three.  
  
"Zell isn't here yet?" she asked.  
  
Selphie shook her head. "Nope. He said he had something to finish up first and he'd be  
here in a few minutes."  
  
"And Squall?"  
  
"He said he'd be down as soon as he finished some paperwork on new students or  
something," Rinoa replied. "Although, I have a feeling he'll just blow it off and be here in a  
miunte."  
  
Irvine looked up from his hat. "Hey, wasn't Laguna gonna come?"  
  
"I called the Presidential Palace about it," Quistis answered,"and Kiros said that he  
was planning to come, but he'd stopped at Winhill to visit Raine's grave and he hadn't heard   
from him since."  
  
Zell jogged in, his jacket hanging off his shoulders. He looked at his friends, panting  
for air. "Sorry...am...I late?"  
  
"Nah, we haven't started yet," Irvine said.  
  
"Oh...good..." Zell breathed out, collapsing next to Quistis.  
  
Squall suddenly appeared on the stairway, he still had a knack for being quiet. He had  
no true expression on his face, but Rinoa could tell in his eyes that he was sad about this. They  
all still were. She herself hadn't been in the best of spirits lately, with her father's death  
anniversary just a few days before. There was so much death at that time, and now whenever it  
rolled around, she would become unhappy. Rinoa had begun to dislike the time of year. And hated  
who caused it even more, although she was dead and gone. Xana had taken so much, and it still  
hurt. It made her more angry to see Squall hurting, although he'd never say it. Rinoa got up from  
her seat and walked over to him.  
  
"Hi," she said.  
  
Squall nodded, quietly replying, "Hey."  
  
"Saved you a seat."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Rinoa tried to smile a little. "You have that thoughtful look on your face again."  
  
"I have a--"  
  
"Lot on my mind," Quistis finished. Squall gave her a sharp look and she chuckled a  
little. "I'm sorry, Squall. A bad habit."  
  
"Or that you're predictable," Seifer said, opening his mouth for the first time since  
arriving.  
  
Squall stayed silent for a moment, before shaking his head and saying, "...Whatever."  
  
"And that one we never saw coming," added Seifer.  
  
Rinoa looked at Seifer. "Alright, that's enough you guys," she said with a tone of voice  
that was soft, but still got across that she meant what she said. She looked at Squall. "We can  
talk about what's on your mind later."  
  
Squall shrugged. "I guess," he replied. "Is everyone here yet?"  
  
Rinoa shook her head. "We were still expecting your fath--Laguna--to come. And Dorin."  
  
"I doubt Laguna's gonna make it," Squall said.  
  
"Alright," said Rinoa. "Come sit down. We'll wait for Dorin for a few more minutes."  
  
Squall followed her, sitting on the edge of the bench as Rinoa and Selphie started a  
quiet conversation about something he wasn't paying attention to. He looked at the bronze plaque  
on the wall, where the rose was sitting underneath. For the first time, Squall wondered why they  
hadn't gotten Vira a proper grave. All she had was a plaque, shared with the other brave SeeDs  
and students who had died during the Third Sorceress War. Didn't Vira deserve her own grave?   
Maybe no one had bothered because there was a part of them that just wanted to believe she was  
alive somewhere, and she just hadn't made it home yet. Squall had that distant hope in him,   
though it was covered by more layers of so called logic and doubt telling him there was no way  
she could still be alive. Logic just stated that there was nothing for them to bury, just a   
jacket that had been boxed up and stored with the rest of her stuff. No point of a grave if   
there was nothing to bury, right?   
  
No, that wasn't true. That logic was faulty. Of course there were graves where nothing  
had been buried. No body, anyway. It was just a marker for that person, something that people  
could come to and see.  
  
So why did no one give Vira a grave?   
  
Hope, Squall guessed. Hope that she was somewhere else, but alive. It was illogical and  
impossible at best. But it was still there. Squall stared at the memorial, realizing how   
confusing it all seemed. And unfair.  
  
Squall heard footsteps click on the polished floor of the Quad. He looked up and saw   
Dorin walking down the stairs to join everyone else. Squall got up to greet him.   
  
"Hey," he greeted quietly.  
  
Dorin merely nodded. He never said much on this day. And no one ever brought her up on   
any other day either with him. They knew there was still a hole in his heart where Vira used to   
be. And that hole had yet to heal, and some thought that it never would.  
  
Squall nodded to the benches. "Saved a seat for you." He sighed and looked at the   
plaque. "Two years already..."  
  
"Two more than necessary," Dorin muttered.  
  
"Yeah. It still feels so wrong," Squall replied. He sighed. "We were all planning to   
just talk for a little while. If there's anything you want to say, feel free."  
  
Dorin merely nodded in response.  
  
Squall walked back to his seat next to Rinoa. She waved to Dorin. "Hi," she said. "How   
are you?"  
  
"Been better," he replied before he walked over to the plaque and stood silently.  
  
Rinoa looked at Squall sadly. "He's not getting any better is he?"  
  
"Don't think so," Squall replied, shaking his head. "He knew her better than we did. It   
must be really hard on him."  
  
"I wish there was something we could do," Rinoa said quietly.  
  
Squall nodded.  
  
"He's gotta snap out of it sometime," Zell commented.  
  
Rinoa frowned. "Doesn't look like he is. He hardly comes to see us anymore. Things got   
better for us, but I don't think they got better for him." She looked at Squall. "Why don't you  
go say something, get it all started."  
  
Squall didn't reply, but stood up instead, letting his actions speak for themselves. He  
walked over to the plaque, and looked at Dorin. "We're...gonna start now."  
  
Dorin nodded, and said nothing as he walked over to the benches, taking a seat on the  
far end. Squall cleared his throat.  
  
"Here we are...again. It's been two years today since the Siren sank, and all those   
SeeDs and students who died there...Like Vira. After all this time, I still have a hard time  
grasping that concept. We're all friends here, and we've all been through a lot. But...we've  
all made it through. We never really lost one of our own. And sure, we only knew her for a few  
weeks but that's who she was. One of our own. She was a SeeD, like most of us, and a fighter.  
She wasn't easy to get to know, but in the end, we were her friends. I think we all know that.  
It sickens me to think about how unfair this all is. It does. To this day, I still think there  
should've been something we--I--could've done to keep her from dying. She saved us all, and her  
reward is to die? Hyne really does have a sick sense of humor."  
  
Rinoa frowned. "Squall..."  
  
He shook his head. "No, it needs to be said. We're all trying to move on with our lives.  
And some have done it better than others. But, it still bothers me that after two years, we only  
talk about her on one day. It's not her birthday, it's the day her life ended. While we're all  
getting ready to be married or running countries or teaching classes, she's dead. Where is the  
justice in all this? She singlehandedly did what we'd done before, and she dies? I don't   
understand. I really don't. And that after these last two years, she still does not have a   
grave. Just this plaque. She deserves better."  
  
Seifer frowned. "You're talkin like she's still alive somewhere."  
  
"No, I'm not. But, if she was alive, she woulda been here by now. So what are we waiting  
for? She needs more than a name engraved on some brass plate. One name in a list of at least a  
dozen other names. It's a terrible loss when anyone dies. But, it hurts more because she was a  
friend." Squall sighed. "I just hope that she got what she really deserved, wherever she is, and  
that she's happy. Because, I know she was hardly ever happy. She deserved some happiness."  
  
3. An Old Will And A New Problem  
  
The rest of the service hadn't went all that well. Dorin had said a few words, very few,  
keeping it brief and to the point. Everyone could tell how much he still missed her. It was the  
look in his icy blue eyes that told it, more than his lack of words, or the words he actually  
said. He and Squall had talked for a few minutes after the service, and Squall had told him to  
come visit more often, everyone there missed seeing him. Dorin said he would, but he had said  
that the year before. In truth, Squall knew he'd go back to Draconia and overbook himself with  
meetings and such. He didn't blame him, but tried to remind him that he didn't have to be alone.  
Coming from him, it sounded weird. Squall still found saying the words odd, even after all this  
time. He knew Dorin wouldn't listen, but at least he'd been told. Squall would probably overbook  
himself as well, though with both their jobs, it wasn't difficult to do so. Squall wasn't sure if  
Dorin had actually left Garden yet to go back to Draconia, but it didn't matter. He probably had  
and would be the last he'd see of him until next year, or whenever Irvine and Selphie decided to  
get married, if he decided to come to that. By the afternoon, Squall was back in his office,  
looking over his paperwork again. He had told Rinoa there was something he wanted to talk about,  
but said it'd have to wait until tomorrow. Today was just a day for quiet reflection. Everyone   
would get back to their pseudo-quasi happy existence tomorrow and for the life of him, Squall   
would try to do it too.   
  
That ring would stay in his pocket until tomorrow. There was no two ways about it.  
  
Xu poked her head into Squall's new office (made especially for him by Cid, though Squall  
had protested), clearing her throat.  
  
"Squall?"  
  
He looked up from his work. "What?"  
  
Xu's eyes darted into the hallway. "President Loire's here to see you, with a Mrs. Feabie  
Ryneriz."  
  
Squall's eyebrows jutted downward, a scowl coming over his face already. Laguna missing  
Vira's service was one thing. He knew he wasn't going to show up. Hell, the man hadn't shown up  
for most of his goddamn life and now said he wanted to make up for it. But now he had the nerve  
to show up with some woman he'd never heard of. Squall wasn't interested in anything his "father"  
had to say to him, but couldn't waste the time explaining why he couldn't see him. "Fine," he  
grumbled. "Send them in."  
  
Xu's head disappeared behind the door, with Laguna and Mrs. Ryneriz's heads taking her  
place.   
  
Laguna looked as he usually did; nervous. These days, Laguna was always nervous around  
Squall. Since admitting to him that he was his father a year ago, Squall made it known in every  
way possible that he was angry at Laguna. The man had abandoned him. All those years, and never  
a word. How could he have not known about his own son? The worst of it was, Laguna had known  
ever since the problems with Ultimecia, but had put off telling him until way after the next  
sorceress, Xana, had bitten the dust. All that time he had known and not said a word. Laguna  
said that he meant to, but always lost track of the time, but he wanted to make it up to him.  
Make it up to him. Ha! That was probably one of the funniest jokes Squall had heard. He hadn't  
known him at all during his life and now Laguna admits this and expects a relationship? As far  
as Squall was concerned, Laguna could fall into a ditch and yell about how much he was his   
father and it wouldn't make a goddamn difference. He could bitch, and talk about leg cramps and  
be all nostalgic about his mother, and talk about how much he wanted to make up for all the   
years he hadn't been there. Abandoned. It still wouldn't make a difference. Not showing up to  
Vira's service was just another part in a never ending list of things in Squall's life that his  
dear ol dad wouldn't show up for. Wouldn't or couldn't, Squall didn't know.  
  
The woman next to him, Mrs. Ryneriz, was a short and chubby woman, graying blonde hair  
tied neatly back into a perfect bun. She was wearing a red dress with little flower designs  
on it, her face a pink to match with it. Although she looked nice enough, Squall couldn't help  
but think of a blood clot when seeing her dress. Her eyes were beady, light blue, but had a   
matronly look in them. In her hands were a bunch of papers, Squall assumed more paperwork he'd   
have to look over. For one reason or another.   
  
He stood up to greet them. Then he noticed that Laguna was holding something too. He  
balanced an odd looking ball between his hand and his hip, a blue sphereical shaped device, and  
a book. He looked like he was going to drop them. Knowing Laguna, he probably would.  
  
"Laguna," he said (still not calling him father by name was the only thing Squall felt  
he had left). He looked at the woman. "I don't believe we've met, Mrs--"  
  
"Ryneriz," she finished. Her voice was soft and kind. Now Squall felt worse about the  
blood clot thought. "Call me Feabie."  
  
"Yeah. Feabie." He looked at Laguna. "You were supposed to be here hours ago. The  
service is over."  
  
Laguna looked apologetic, as usual, scratching the back of his neck in his nervous way.  
"I know. And I'm really sorry, but this took longer than I thought. Anyway, I figured what I   
have might make up for missing it."  
  
"What do you have?" Squall asked.  
  
Laguna looked to Feabie, who pulled out one of the pieces of paper, handing it to him.   
"While I was visiting your mother, I came across this other grave that I'd never seen before.   
Belonged to some guy named Joril Eronwil. Now, I remembered Vira had that last name, and that's   
not exactly a common last name, so I went to the Hall of Records, where Feabie gave me some real  
interesting stuff you might want to see. Feabie..."   
  
"I knew Joril. He lived in this house outside of Deling City most of the time, but came  
to this cabin he owned in Winhill during the summers. For a few years. Everyone knew him. He was  
a great man, always full of life, talking about these crazy stories, and trying to help anyone  
he could. All of a sudden, he got hooked up with this creepy looking lady. Scary beyond all  
reason, if you ask me--"  
  
Squall frowned. "Xana."  
  
Feabie ignored him and continued. "They got married, some ceremony no one went to, and  
then were expecting a baby. This all happened pretty quick, but Joril couldn't be happier about  
having a family. They had their child, it was a girl I believe--"  
  
"Vira. Vira Eronwil," Squall said.  
  
Feabie nodded. "Yes. She was a sweet looking child. I was able to see her a few times.  
Anyway, before Joril died in the fire at his Deling house, he'd made up a will. One of his terms  
was to be buried in Winhill, which was what we did. We thought that poor Vira had died in the  
fire too. We had no idea she had been in the orphanage the whole time...then Galbadia Garden.   
Believe you me, if we had known, things certainly woulda been different for her, lemme tell ya.  
Well, the next thing is that he left everything to Vira. But...umm..."  
  
"She's dead," Squall stated, coldly. "Two years today."  
  
Feabie sighed. "I know, and I'm so sorry it happened. But, since she's passed on, the  
inheritence goes to the next of kin."  
  
Squall frowned again. What did any of this really have to do with him? "Feabie, Vira  
didn't have any siblings or cousins. There is no next of kin."  
  
"Ah, not quite," said Feabie, pointing to the paper Laguna was holding. "Those are   
preliminary adoption papers."  
  
Now Squall was utterly confused. "What?"  
  
"Y'see, son--Squall--Vira's dad knew your mom. They were pretty good friends. When your  
mother died and I wasn't there, Vira's father started the preliminary paperwork to adopt you,"  
Laguna said.  
  
Feabie nodded. "Yes, he felt very sorry for you. And thought that it would be better for  
you to grow up in a family, rather than an orphanage. But, before he could go all the way through  
with it, he cancelled everything. He told me his wife had become too volitle and sick and that  
it'd be wrong to bring another child into that kind of environment. Now, I know it's a stretch,  
a loooooooong stretch, but President Loire and I believed that it'd be best to give all of this   
to you, rather than have it lie around collecting dust. You're the closest thing to next of kin."  
  
Squall's jaw hung open. What the hell just happened? Okay, so Laguna tells him he's his  
father. Squall finally has a father, one that was never there, but is still alive...and president  
of a freakin country! Now, they're trying to pull this "near adoption" to the friend he had been  
mourning the very same day. It was more than a stretch, it was damn near insane. It was ridiculous  
beyond all reasoning. Coincidences run rampant in Squall's life. That was the only way he could   
explain it. Freaky fate or destiny that's brought him to where he was, and who was nearly in his   
past. And throughout this confusion, one thing remained clear to Squall: it was Vira who should   
have been recieving this. She damn well should have.  
  
"What...did he have?" Squall managed to ask.  
  
Feabie put the papers on Squall's desk, on top of the other mounds of papers and pointed  
to everything as she spoke. "Joril was actually pretty well off, though no one really knows how  
he did it. His assests amounted to about one million gil in total, which is now all effectively  
yours. The property where his Deling City house stood is also yours, along with the small cabin  
that he owned in Winhill. That one's in a state of disrepair, I'm afraid."  
  
"I went over there before we came here, and brought you these," said Laguna, placing the  
odd ball, sphereical thing, and book on the table.  
  
Squall put a hand to his forehead as he shook it in disbelief. "This is impossible..."  
  
"Squall, I needed Feabie here to come with me or you'd never believed me," said Laguna.  
  
"You got that right."  
  
"Believe me, I wanted to be there today, but I thought this might be more important,"  
Laguna said, keeping up that apologetic look.  
  
Squall still didn't quiet get all of it. Preliminary paperwork for adoption? How nutso  
was that? Way more than a stretch, if they asked him. So he was in the beginning stages of being  
an adoptive brother to Vira? Big deal. It didn't make a damn difference. Results were what   
mattered, and in the end, Squall had been in the orphanage, he hadn't been adopted, and Vira and  
her father were still dead. But, hearing what Vira's father had at least tried to do for him  
made him sick again. Another nice person, one that cared about the well being of others, and he  
dies at the same hands of the same sadistic bitch.   
  
In a few words; it sucked.  
  
Feabie looked over the papers, then pulled a pen out of her pocket. "I'll just need you  
to sign this one and everything will be in order. I know how ridiculous it sounds, but Joril was  
a good man, and I think his belongings should go to someone who knew his daughter. Legally, you  
are the closest."  
  
Still in shock, Squall signed the paper in silence, a feeling of numbness coming over  
him. He sank back into his chair. Feabie took the paper, looking it over carefully.  
  
"Everything's in order. I'd best be getting back to Winhill now. Business trips like this  
can't last too long." She stuck her hand out, and Squall could've sworn it almost hit him in the  
face. "It was nice meeting you."  
  
Squall, to be polite, shook Feabie's hand, remembering how he never used to do that, for  
anyone. She turned and shook Laguna's hand, then say her goodbyes, disappearing behind the door  
again. Now it was just Squall and Laguna. Squall looked over all the papers and objects on his  
desk. Great. Fabulous.  
  
He needed all of this to sink in. Laguna being there, trying miserably to do the father  
bit wouldn't help in the least. Squall rose to usher Laguna out, then heard a small metalic   
clink. Squall's hand sped to his pocket, where he felt around the entire contents.  
  
The ring had fallen out. Hell. That was just what he needed then. Laguna and more   
questions. Squall had to get to the ring before Laguna, to stave off the questions.  
  
But, Laguna was already bent down to the floor, picking up the tiny gold ring. He looked  
at it curiously, and held it out for Squall to take. "So, this for Rinoa?" he asked.  
  
Squall snatched the ring out of Laguna's hand, shoving it back into his pocket. "Yeah.  
Now, I think you should go."  
  
"Squall, you're gonna ask her to marry you, aren't ya?" Squall cringed as he heard his  
so-called father hit the nail on the head. "I guess I'm not invited, huh?" he added.  
  
"You are, you are," Squall said, sighing. "But, I haven't asked her yet, so just don't  
say anything."  
  
"She'll say yes. I can tell."  
  
Squall frowned. "That's not what I'm concerned about."  
  
Laguna looked at him with a pleading expression. He was getting desperate. "Look, Squall,  
I'm really sorry I missed Vira's service, and your entire life. But, dammit, I'm trying to   
make it up to you. I know it's hard for you to even want to acknowledge I live, but it's not like  
you can just get rid of me."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"I thought that maybe this stuff would be important to you. That maybe you'd like to have  
it, since she can't. It really is better than havin it lay around collectin dust somewhere,   
right?" said Laguna.  
  
Squall nodded. Unfortunately, Laguna was beginning to make a lot of sense. He hadn't   
been there, but in his own strange way, this was Laguna trying really hard to make it up to him.  
And if he hadn't found anything...he would've been there. Squall felt torn again. There was so  
much of him that hated Laguna for never being there, but then the other half told him that at  
least he was there now, and that was more than some people could say.  
  
And for some odd reason, he wondered what Vira would make out of all of this. Maybe she'd  
chuckle at him and tell him that she knew her father was a good man, but never got to know him.  
Laguna's not like Xana. He's not evil incarnate. Give him a chance. Make up for the lost time.  
But it won't be easy.  
  
Being angry at him all the time wasn't easy anymore either. Apathy would've been easier.  
Hell, being nice to him at this point would've been easier. The anger was consuming too much of  
his energy and time.   
  
God, at least Laguna was trying. All of this...he didn't have to do it, but he did. It  
was something.  
  
Rinoa had kept telling Squall to give him a chance. Maybe she'd finally gotten through  
to him. Internally, Squall smiled. Rinoa always was trying to make him a better person.  
  
"Yeah, it's better than collecting dust." He paused, preparing himself for what he was  
going to say. "Thanks for bringing it over. I understand why you couldn't make it. Of course   
you'll be invited to the wedding. I'm sure Rinoa'll want you in the wedding party or something  
like that."  
  
Laguna smiled a little. "Uhh...is this your way of giving me a chance finally?"  
  
"Yeah, so don't blow it. Rinoa...she's such a wonderful person. She keeps telling me to  
give you a chance. And, it makes sense coming from her, with what happened to General Caraway.  
She's always trying to make me a better man. So, it won't be easy, but I'll give it a shot.  
Alright?"  
  
Laguna nodded, a tear forming in the corner of his eye. He sniffled and looked away,   
scrambling to wipe his face clean of any oncoming tears. "Anger get too energy consuming?"  
  
Squall frowned. "How'd you know?"  
  
He shrugged. "Eh, just seems like you. I don't expect you to call me dad overnight or  
anything. It's been a year, and I've tried to give you some space. I think that's fair. I'm just  
happy you're giving me a chance. That's all I ask."  
  
"I know, I know."  
  
Laguna smiled. "Rinoa's really good for you, y'know that? As smart and as pretty as her  
mother was. Can't go wrong. You two will be really happy, I'm sure of it. When are you gonna ask  
her?"  
  
"Tomorrow. It's not right to do it today. I've had the ring for a while now," Squall  
replied.  
  
"I understand. Heh, you'll make her day tomorrow. No doubt. I should probably get going  
now. If I'm gone too long, Kiros starts calling me weird names again and Ward gives me the third  
degree with his eyes. I swear, it's like they're running the country instead of me," said Laguna,  
grinning a crooked grin.  
  
Squall smirked. "Was there any doubt in your mind about that?"  
  
"Well--hey!"  
  
"Hey, Squall?" Xu's head reappeared in the doorway again, interupting one of Squall's  
rare jokes.  
  
"Yeah, Xu? What's goin on?"  
  
"I was on my way to go teach one of my classes when I heard the phone beeping. I'm not  
your secretary, God knows you should get one one of these days, but I picked it up for you   
anyway. It's Kiros from Esthar. He wants to speak with President--"  
  
"Just call me Laguna," he interupted.  
  
Xu didn't acknowledge the statement and continued. "He wants to speak with Laguna, and  
you. Says it's something about Dr. Odine."  
  
Laguna groaned and rolled his eyes. "Not Odine again. What's that little heartless genius  
with the funky collar done now?"  
  
Xu shrugged. "Don't know. But I'm gonna be late for my class. So pick it up will you?"  
  
Squall nodded, turning on the phone, where a picture of Kiros flickered to life on his  
television. Xu waved and took of for her class.  
  
"And get a damn secretary!" she called out.  
  
Squall shook his head. She was right. But it'd have to wait. Kiros looked at Squall and  
Laguna, his expression looking more than a little worried.  
  
"Kiros, what's up?" asked Laguna.  
  
Kiros looked shocked for a moment. "Y'mean you can't tell? Geez, you guys are off the  
coast of Balamb, shouldn't you be able to hear it?"  
  
"Hear what? What's Odine doing?" asked Squall.  
  
Kiros frowned and began his explaination. "Odine decided, without getting permission from  
anyone, to salvage what's left of the Silver Siren."  
  
Squall slammed his fist on the table. "Why is everything happening today?! Goddammit!"  
  
Laguna put up a hand. "Calm down, Squall. Kiros, why is he doing it? How? I thought that  
magic whatever was too strong to let anyone in."  
  
"It was, but I guess Odine thought it'd calmed down enough. He was off in Centra reading  
magic levels and composition in the ruins, when he just whisked off to the ocean where the Siren  
fell without telling anyone. And he's got all the stupid little genius equipment he needs to   
bring that thing up. He'll probably put it on Centra when he's done since there aren't any towns  
around there. If I were you, I'd go find the little nutcase before he dredges up something nasty.  
You shoulda been on top of this, you knuckleknob."  
  
Laguna frowned. "I was busy with other business. I do have a lot to do, y'know, Kiros."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," he agreed, nodding. "But, I swear, you'd never get anywhere without us  
giving you a hand."  
  
"No arguement here."  
  
"I'll do what I can from here, but since you guys are closer, you stand a better chance  
of heading him off," said Kiros.  
  
Squall nodded. "Got it. We'll take care of it." He shut off the phone. Laguna sighed.  
  
"Odine has no respect for the anniversary of someone's death. Especially when he saw her  
as just another experiment, just like Elle," said Laguna.  
  
A horrifying thought crossed Squall's mind. "He's not sick enough to go look for her  
body, is he?"  
  
Laguna's eyes widened and he shook his head vehemently. "No! No! Course not! He may have  
no respect for people as actual people, but he won't go unearthing any dead bodies to see what  
he can find. He's a little nutso, not completely deranged."  
  
Squall sighed as he reached for the PA system to call the others. "Better hope Dorin's  
still here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it's easier to keep him from knocking the shit out of Odine if we're around.  
This is not gonna go over well with him..." He clicked on the PA system, hearing the familiar  
three bell ding. "This is Squall. Rinoa, Quistis, Seifer, Zell, Selphie and Irvine please come  
to my office immediately. I'll explain when you get here. And, Dorin, if you're still here,  
please come too. That is all." The bell dinged again as Squall turned it off. "I hope he's still  
here..."  
  
4. Salvaging   
  
Squall watched as the group filed into his office, all clamoring and talking over one   
another. All questions about what was going on. Squall was glad to see that Dorin hadn't left,   
and was at the back, the only silent one of the group.  
  
"S'up, Squall?" asked Zell.  
  
"Yeah!" Selphie said. "What's going on?"  
  
"Odine's doing something really stupid. You guys haven't seen it yet, have you?" said   
Squall.  
  
"I saw a bunch of Esthar ships out beyond the harbor, but I didn't think much on it,"   
Irvine replied.  
  
Squall pointed out the window behind him, which overlooked not only the fields that   
surrounded Garden, but also an expansive ocean view. "Odine's salvaging the Siren. He didn't get   
permission from Laguna, Kiros or Ward. He's doing it all himself."  
  
"Why?" Everyone jumped and turned to Dorin, a look of pure murder on his face.  
  
"He's been researching magical energy, like specific signals spells give out or some   
stuff like that. Whatever's kept us from ever going near the Siren. He found something in the   
Centra ruins that matches something in the Siren. I guess he wants to find out what sort of   
spell it is. Laguna's pretty ticked off at him. I won't be surprised if he gets kicked out of   
Esthar for this. But, it'll be hard to get there before he's finished bringing it up," said   
Squall.  
  
Dorin's jaw ticked but he said nothing.  
  
"So are we going out there to watch or what?" Seifer demanded.  
  
"Yeah, Seifer. I figured we'd go out there, get some lawn chairs out and watch them   
bring the thing out of the ocean. I don't know about you, but I want to get out there now and   
stop him. He's got no respect for humanity. At all," Squall replied, a sarcastic bite added to   
the first half of it.  
  
In the back, Dorin merely spun on his heels and left the office. The group looked at the   
closing doors, then back to Squall again, who sighed. "This isn't going to be pretty," he   
muttered.  
  
  
Odine was hopping up and down with excitement at the sight of the raised Siren. It   
hadn't taken him much time at all to get the entire ship raised and dragged to the shores off of  
Centra. No one had even so much as batted an eye at him, until Kiros had caught wind of it. But  
that was his problem. Science was more important than some hissy fit from a man all the way in  
Esthar. Odine was running the show here. Vira Eronwil had been one of the most interesting   
cases he'd ever seen, maybe even more so than Ellone. Half sorceress by genetics, and half  
Draconian. Her death had been under as much mysterious circumstances as her mother's history,  
the first sorceress possibly beating out both Vira and Ellone as most interesting. Odine knew  
her corpse would be in there, but what good is a dead sorceress? Even if she was the first one,  
or one of the first, it was always hard to tell. Odine had done preliminary work on the magic  
field that the Siren had given off when it crashed, at the request of Squall Leonhart, who had  
his hands full keeping one of the Draconian noblemen, Dorin something or other, from diving in  
head first. Odine had proven that the field around the Siren was too dangerous for anyone to go  
near, but had noted a spell's residue that was most unusual. He hadn't told anyone about how in  
a couple years' time, the dangerous magic field around the Siren would be gone, but that the   
rare spell's residue would probably still be there. It wasn't any of their concern.  
  
Then he'd spent some time in Centra, still trying to piece together the lost   
civilization. There was still so much about the ruins that he did not know, and that hadn't been  
seen since it had been wiped out. Odine had to know. It was his life's work, his purpose on  
the planet. He came across a circular device in the ruins, with a small key panel beside it,   
with a few buttons to press. There was some strange writing on it that had been faded away, but   
he could make out the words 'Zanarkand' and 'Centra' on it. This puzzled him, but pleased him.  
Another challenge for Odine to figure out. When he checked the device for magic residue, he came  
up with the same exact frequency as the rare spell that had been used in the Silver Siren. Now  
Odine had to know what was in common with the two. What sort of spell it was, and who had cast  
it in the first place. Yet another mystery that Odine was damned determined to solve at whatever  
cost.  
  
The crew that Odine had taken with him lowered the Siren on shores of the Centra   
continent. And although Odine was the head of this project, he prefered to stay in the control  
room of the main ship he'd taken to get there, rather than be outside with the rest.  
  
"You see? You see? Odine has done ze impossible vonce again!"  
  
He was so caught up in his jubilation that he didn't see the entrance of Dorin Vachon   
into the control room. Dorin regarded the small man with cold fury before tapping him on the   
shoulder.  
  
Odine stopped hopping and turned around. "Vat do you-"  
  
The sound of the punch was heard all the way outside of the control room as Squall and   
rest made their way to it. Everyone's eyes grew.  
  
"Aw hell," Irvine drawled.  
  
Odine was on the floor, holding his jaw. Squall wasn't positive, but he thought he saw   
blood coming out. The strange little man stood up, hopping up and down in a temper tantrum too   
big for his frame.   
  
"Vat iz your problem?! Odine iz vorking here!"  
  
Dorin didn't seem to listen. He picked up the short man by the front of his shirt and   
slammed him against a wall. Dorin spoke quickly and quietly, not trying to hide the hint of rage   
in his voice. "As you can probably guess Dr. Odine, I am NOT in the mood for your antics at the   
present moment. Not only have you desecrated a gravesite but you are also violating Draconia's   
rights to the salvaged wreck as well. Now," Dorin continued, pausing for effect, "Start. Talking.  
NOW."  
  
Odine, for the first time that Squall remembered, looked very threatened, though that   
was soon masked over by the little man's anger. "I have been rezearching a specific machine in   
ze Centra ruins. It has ze rezidue of a spell. A very specific kind zat Odine has never seen   
before. Odine had done preliminary read outs on ze magical rezidue from ze Siren and remembered   
ze very same pattern. It'z coming from ze main hallway inzide ze ship! Odine must know vhat ziz   
spell iz! For ze good of everyone!"  
  
Dorin's eye twitched, which caused Odine to flinch and whimper slightly. "Where's the   
source of this spell?" he growled.  
  
"In ze central chamber of ze ship. We vere about to send boarding parties over," Odine   
replied.  
  
Dorin let go of Odine, who fell to the floor in a heap and with some choice words about   
Dorin's lineage. Dorin merely turned and walked back towards the door.  
  
"We will be boarding it first," he said as he paused at the door. He glanced at Odine.   
"And the Draconian Navy will be here within the hour to take over this operation."  
  
Dorin smiled grimly at the sound of Odine wailing as he left.  
  
The others followed Dorin, all silent. Selphie and Zell's jaws hung open for a few   
moments, utterly surprised. Squall just shook his head.   
  
"I've never seen Doc Odine get that scared o' someone," Irvine marveled, breaking the   
silence. "You're really intimidating, Dorin. Y'know that, right?"   
  
"Serves the bastard right for disturbing her rest," Dorin rumbled.  
  
Squall walked up beside Dorin. "Do you want to go in now? It's your call. Since you're   
appearantly running the show."  
  
Dorin nodded. "I don't want any of them touching her."  
  
"Yeah," Squall agreed. He sighed. "Of all days to do this..."  
  
The group came upon the Silver Siren, and although it was in disrepair, rusted and   
covered with seaweed, it still looked imposing and forboding. Squall stared at it, wishing he   
had punched the doctor himself.   
  
There was a massive hole in the side, near where the group stood. Dorin said nothing,   
but climbed in, the rest following him inside.  
  
Once they were in, Irvine turned to Dorin. "So like, where's the main chamber?"  
  
Dorin looked around, studying the hall they had stepped into. "This way," he said,   
pointing to the right.  
  
They followed him in silence, all too consumed by the ominous feeling the Siren still   
had. Everything was in utter ruin, a few bodies of the people who had died in there decaying and   
bloated, their color a sickly blue and purple.   
  
It didn't take long to reach the main chamber, with its unmistakable wrought iron gates   
in front of it. The gates were ajar and rusty. They creaked loudly as the group pushed through.   
  
Inside, their eyes were drawn to a small vertical shape in the middle. It looked for all   
the world like a levitating pool of water, colors dancing off of it's surface as they mixed and   
swirled.  
  
"Whoa, cooooool!" Selphie exclaimed. She ran up to it, staring at it in awe. The others  
approached it with more caution, no doubt it was what Odine had been looking for.  
  
Squall scanned the room for Vira or Xana, but didn't see them. A part of him was   
relieved to not have to deal with the sight of them, the other part was saddened that he didn't  
finally have his friend to bury. Vira deserved a grave, and to be recovered. But, with her   
nowhere inside the chamber, that seemed impossible now. He looked at Dorin, who was evidently  
looking for her too.  
  
"At least she's not here," Squall said to him quietly.  
  
"No...she's not," he replied.  
  
"Maybe she got out, but couldn't make it to shore in time..." Squall said.  
  
Rinoa looked at the black pool carefully. "I've never seen anything like this. This is   
very powerful magic. It's been shrinking since it was cast. Looks like it leads somewhere. Can't   
tell where, though. And we can't fit in it anymore. Maybe there's the same spell in that device   
Odine was talking about in the Centra ruins."  
  
"But, why would it be there?" asked Selphie.  
  
Rinoa shrugged. "Not sure. Neither Xana or Vira made it out of this, or they would've   
made an appearance somewhere by now. Perhaps Xana made it but never got to use it. Though...I'm   
not sure how powerful Vira was. Her case was special...she might've been able to do it too..."   
Rinoa shook her head. "It's too vague. Xana probably did this, but it didn't save either of   
them. And we don't know where it goes."  
  
"Somewhere else on the planet?" Zell suggested.  
  
Rinoa shrugged. "That's the most likely suggestion. Though, it'd have to be somewhere   
very far away from where the Siren was. Xana had the power to teleport pretty far without   
something this elaborate. So, it's gotta be far."  
  
"And the one in the Centra ruins has the same residue?" said Quistis.  
  
"Which would mean that it most likely leads to the same place," said Rinoa. "Though,   
without more information on exactly how it was formed, it's a bit hard to tell. I'm good at   
magic, but not THAT good."  
  
  
5. New Sight Into Old Events Through Ellone  
  
The tea kettle whistled high pitched noise and Rinoa quickly took it off the stove.   
Without saying a word, she poured the water into a mug, dropping a tea bag in it, grabbing a  
spoon from one of the drawers near her, and stirring the water. A few seconds later, she removed  
the bag, placing it on a paper napkin on the countertop and carried the mug into the next room.  
  
Since arrival on the shores of Centra the night before on the Ragnarok, Garden, once   
again making itself mobile, had arrived there too, ready to stay there as long as necessary.  
Dorin had agreed to stay in one of the spare rooms in the dorms, but everyone knew he hadn't  
spent much time sleeping in there. Everyone was on edge now. Even the next morning, with the  
crisp blue sky stretching its arms across the horizon, not a single cloud dotting it, and the  
new sunshine pouring in the windows, everyone was still on edge. At least Squall felt it. He  
couldn't say absolutely sure for everyone else.  
  
Squall sat in an easy chair in his room, which had been expanded once they also decided  
to give him an office. Squall liked that he had a little extra space, and a kitchenette to   
himself if he needed something late at night, but he wasn't ecstatic about it. It was nice, but  
he always had something else on his mind.  
  
Rinoa came into the room, handing the mug full of tea to him. "Here you go. Need   
something nice and warm for you to start off your day."  
  
"Rin," he started.  
  
She sat down across from him, in another chair, looking at him with patient eyes. Her  
eyes were so beautiful, Squall often thought. Even in the early morning light, they were   
beautiful. He sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry we couldn't stop him from bringing that damn thing up," Squall said quietly.  
  
Rinoa nodded. "I know. But you heard what he said last night, there's something similar  
between this portal we found in the main hall of the Siren, and that weird device in the Centra  
ruins. It could mean something important. What were they doing in that hall?"  
  
"Fighting. To the death," Squall replied. "Maybe I can find out..."  
  
"You mean...go see Ellone?" asked Rinoa.  
  
Squall nodded. "She did meet Vira when she visited Esthar with Dorin and Zell to see  
Odine. She might be able to see what caused it..."  
  
"You mean, if there's a possibility Vira's still alive," finished Rinoa.  
  
"No. She's dead. We all have to accept that. But, if I can know what caused it, maybe  
we'll know what it exactly is and where it goes. It's worth a shot."  
  
Early afternoon brought Squall's arrival to Esthar, where Laguna had returned the night  
before. Esthar always looked like it was in a perpetual state of sunset to Squall, the sky   
always alive with pinks and oranges, the bright golden sun beating down on the ground. Squall  
parked the Ragnarok at the Airstation, recalling how Selphie had begged to come, and pilot the  
Ragnarok again. She hadn't done it in years, but Squall said it would've been best if he went  
alone. And that everyone needed to keep an eye on Dorin, who was dealing with the Draconian  
Navy, and an upset Odine. He pointed out that it'd be best if Dorin had more help dealing with  
the 'good' doctor, help as in not beating him to a bloody pulp. Though, Squall had mentioned he  
wasn't broken up about the tooth Odine had lost from Dorin's punch. In the end, it was just a  
matter of convenience and who needed other people more. No contest there.  
  
Laguna was waiting for him at the front of the palace, with Kiros and Ward at his side  
as always. There was the usual pleasantries in terms of hellos and how are yous, but Squall was  
in no mood for idle chit chat. He brought Laguna up to speed on what he was planning, and what  
everyone else was saying about it. Laguna said he'd try to help in any way that he could, and  
that Ellone would too.  
  
"Squall, it's good to see you again." Ellone greeted Squall with a warm hug, which he  
returned.  
  
"You too, Sis," he replied.   
  
"What is it that you want me to help you with?" she asked as she let go.  
  
They all walked into the main room as Squall explained his idea. "You remember Vira,   
right? She came here for a little while with Zell, and this other guy, Dorin, from Draconia."  
  
"Yes, I remember meeting her briefly. She kind of reminded me of you."  
  
Squall snorted. "So I've heard. Anyway, Odine has salvaged the ship she died in and   
found this weird...spell...portal...damned if I know. It matches the same magic signal, aura or  
something as this strange machine in the Centra ruins. It doesn't make much sense. But, I was  
hoping maybe you could send me back to right before the place went under, to Vira's last few  
minutes, maybe we could find out what the spell really is."  
  
Ellone looked thoughtful, putting a delicate hand to her chin. "I don't know, Squall.   
It's hard enough to send you back to someone I don't know very well, but it's even harder for  
someone who's already gone. It might not be accurate, or work at all. Do you still want to try?"  
  
Squall nodded. "It's worth a try."  
  
"Okay," Ellone replied, sitting down and motioning for Squall to do the same. "I'll give  
it my best shot. Uncle Laguna, could you watch us and make sure nothing wrong happens?"  
  
Laguna nodded. "Of course, Elle. No problem."  
  
"Thank you. Hang on..."  
  
Squall felt lightheaded, then tired. As he fell asleep, he vaguely remembered the first  
time Ellone sent him back and how he woke up saying he dreamt he was a moron...  
  
  
Bright flash of white light.   
  
When things came into focus again, Squall saw the interior of a small room, and he   
immediately recognized the design to be Galbadia Garden's. Ellone had sent him back too far.  
Vira was there, though, sitting on the top bunk of the double beds their rooms had. Her hair was  
longer than he remembered, and she looked younger. She was in the standard issue Galbadia   
Garden uniform for students. She stared up at the ceiling, her face void of expression.  
  
The PA system came on. "Vira Eronwil, report to Headmaster Martine's office immediately."  
  
(Galbadia Garden...wow. Always wondered what it'd be like to have taken classes there.)  
  
Vira sighed and jumped down from the bunk, walking out the door.  
  
A few minutes and an elevator ride later, she was in Martine's office. Squall noted how  
angry he looked at her, though she didn't seem to acknowledge it.  
  
-Gee, I wonder why he wants to talk to me. Another one of those 'why don't you get good  
grades' speeches again. Whatever. He can babble all he wants. Won't change a thing.-  
  
"I heard that you hurt another student in sparring practice today, Eronwil," he growled.  
  
Vira shrugged. "It's his own fault, he was open. I took the opprotunity."  
  
-Not to mention he sucked at fighting. Sure, I ruined his grandfather's staff, but he  
didn't need to get all spazed about it. He struck overhead, chest was open, took the shot. Big  
deal.-  
  
(Huh. Sounds about right.)  
  
Martine sighed. "Eronwil, your grades are horrendous, you know that, right? How can   
someone so smart in fighting fail nearly every test in her other classes? The only reason I   
haven't kicked you out months ago is because of your exemplory performance in fighting. And your  
unusual weapons."  
  
"The classes are boring. I know what I'm doing."  
  
"Do you? How do you handle mechanical enemies?" asked Martine.  
  
Vira looked away, bored. "Lightning spells to short circuit them."  
  
"And why is the limit of spells to be junctioned only one hundred?"  
  
"Because the body can't handle any more than that. The magic will rebel and try to get  
out any way it can, which can most often result in death," Vira replied, monotonously.  
  
Martine eyed her with disgust. "Then why aren't you passing your classes?!"  
  
Vira shrugged again. "I dunno."  
  
Martine slammed his fists on his desk, causing his empty coffee mug to fall over. It  
rolled and Vira watched it.  
  
-Uh oh. That's not good.-  
  
"That's it, Eronwil! You're expelled! Get out! Now!" he roared.  
  
-No, not yet! Can't leave now, I have no money. Where would I go?-  
  
(Martine sending a girl out into the world with no money...sounds like him.)  
  
"Sir, I have no money! No relatives! I'd be out on the street if you kick me out!" Vira  
protested. "I'll leave, but not until I have enough money to get my own place!"  
  
Martine seemed to calm down at this. He sank back into his chair, but stared at Vira  
hard. "Fine. I'll make a deal with you. Pull up your grades to passing ones, and make the SeeD  
test when you have your credits. After that, you can get paid for a few missions. One year as a  
SeeD, and you'll never spend time here. Once you have enough money, you leave. As unusual as   
your wepaons are, and as good at your are at fighting, I don't want troublemakers around longer  
than I have to. How about it?"  
  
"Deal."  
  
Everything faded, and Squall's eyes refocused on the main hall in the Presidential   
Palace, Ellone looking at him with expectant eyes.  
  
"Was that it?"  
  
He shook his head. "No. Too far back. Way too far back."  
  
Ellone understood. "Okay. At least we know it works. Let's try again..."  
  
Squall closed his eyes, feeling sleep coming over him again.  
  
  
Everything came back into focus, like the tracking on an old video. Squall saw Xana   
glide up the staircase, raise her arms high, a black ball forming above her head. It quickly  
grows, arcs of purple electricity streaming around it--  
  
(Reminds me of Ultimecia and Griever...)  
  
--until it grew as large as a wall, ripling and waving into place. It looked like a  
vertical black ocean.  
  
(That's it. The portal. Xana did it.)  
  
Already battle worn, Vira advanced on Xana. "I decided this. Me. Alone. I can't let them  
live in a world with you in it."  
  
"You can't kill me. You won't," Xana mocked.  
  
Vira stood in front of her, her kamagunblades fanned out, ready for her final spell.  
  
-This is it. Can't stop it now. Here goes everything...-  
  
"I will."  
  
Xana growled. "If you're so damn intent, then I'm making a hasty retreat. This'll take  
me back to where your pathetic father came from. Start anew, without you around to screw things  
up."   
  
(She was gonna go through the portal...so it must lead to Deling City then...)  
  
Vira took one last look at Xana, a small smirk forming in the corner of her mouth. "Too  
late."  
  
Squall was blinded, the white light from Vira's spell obliterating his sight of the   
mother and daughter, and of the Siren itself. He had seen the small ball form, grow bigger and  
burst open in a column of light. Then saw nothing. He expected to see Ellone in the next second,  
telling him that was it. That was the end.  
  
But it wasn't.  
  
His sight returned, the Siren still there, but going down fast. And there was Vira, on  
her hands and knees, coughing up blood.  
  
-How the hell did I survive that? Geez...I'm bleeding. Fabulous. Gotta leave. Gotta get  
out...-  
  
(She survived the Final Justice spell. Hyne, then what was it that killed her?)  
  
"I can't believe that didn't kill me," she whispered. Squall saw her drink a potion, and  
saw the gash on her stomach bleed less.  
  
"To tell the truth, neither can I," said a voice that Squall didn't recognize.  
  
He saw a man with dark hair, a scar running down one side of his face, leaving one eye  
completely white. Squall all of a sudden remembered who it was, Kravis. The man who had the big  
grudge against Seifer for some reason, and had been in their orphanage for a while. Though, time  
didn't look kind to him. He yelled and kicked Vira in the stomach, seeing her roll towards the  
black rippling portal.  
  
"What the hell is your problem?! This place is going down and you're trying to kill me?!  
Give it up! It's over! Either we get out of here now, or I get out of her now, or we both die.   
But, kicking me isn't gonna make it better!" Vira yelled.  
  
Kravis walked up next to Vira and looked into the black hole. The depth of it was   
endless, not telling where it could really lead.  
  
Another tremor brought one of the columns of the hall down with a thundering crash. The   
floor shook violently.  
  
"This...is the only way out," he said, reaching out to touch the surface of the hole. As   
his fingers touched it, the entire black whole rippled, like the surface of a lake.  
  
Vira scowled. "You idiot. You don't know where it goes."  
  
-Bastard's whacked out of his goard.-  
  
"And you know that you can't get out any other way. Not in time," he answered.  
  
A tremor knocked down another column, this time cracking and breaking into large chunks   
in front of them. Vira glanced at the hole, and then down the hall.   
  
-"This'll take me back to where your pathetic father came from." Deling? That's a mighty  
elaborate spell just to go to Deling...-  
  
Squall saw Kravis look at Vira, then the black hole. But Vira just stared at the hole,  
her mind filled with just the one question of where her father really had come from. Squall saw  
as Kravis raised his double bladed staff and brought it down at Vira's face. He heard her scream  
in pain, falling backwards, and blood overcoming her sight. The rest became hazy to Squall. He  
heard Kravis say something, and jump into the portal. And that Vira said something too, but then  
everything blended away into a black haze as Squall came to the realization that it wasn't Xana  
that had killed Vira; it had been Kravis. And he had went through the portal, or whatever the   
hell it was.  
  
When Squall opened his eyes again, he was back in the main hall, with Ellone looking at  
him again, worry clearly stretched across her pretty face. "Was that it?"  
  
He nodded. "Thank you so much, Sis. That really helped. I hate to go so quickly, but I  
gotta get back to everyone."  
  
Ellone stood up as Squall did, confused. "What's going on?"  
  
"We have to go."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Through the portal," Squall replied. He hadn't seen it yet, but it didn't matter. Kravis  
had to be brought up on murder charges. He'd find him. They'd find him. Wherever he was.  
  
Laguna stopped him before he walked out on them. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "You  
didn't ask her, did you?" he said.  
  
Squall shook his head. "With everything that's going on...It doesn't feel right."  
  
"Squall, do it before you walk into whatever the hell that thing is in Centra. You never  
know where you're gonna end up. It's bound to be the beginning of something big and you better  
make sure you say it to her before you do."  
  
He nodded. "I'll tell her."  
  
Squall left the Presidential Palace, his mind racing with what to tell Dorin about   
Kravis, who now would have him and Seifer as people wanting to see his dead corpse, and how he  
was supposed to tell Rinoa 'let's get married...later...after this...' Laguna was right, but how  
it was going to work was still beyond him.  
  
  
6. Proposals Of The Future  
  
"So, what did you tell Headmaster Cid?" asked Rinoa.  
  
Squall walked to a set of drawers in his room, pulling out shirts and pants, throwing  
them into a small duffle bag. "That we need to go through the portal in the Centra ruins, but  
I'm not sure how long we'll be or where we'll end up. But, odds are, Kravis could still be out  
there somewhere, and if going through the portal could lead us to some clues, I'm going. Can't  
let him escape after all that he's done. He understands. He said take as long as I need--"  
  
"We need. We're all going, remember? You don't even have to ask. We'll follow you,   
Squall. To wherever we have to go," Rinoa said, walking over to him and putting a hand on his  
shoulder.  
  
"Thanks, Rin," he whispered.  
  
She smiled. "Have you told Dorin about what Kravis did yet?"  
  
He shook his head, looking down at one white shirt of his. He threw it into the bag.   
"Nah. Haven't had the chance. I'm not sure if he'll want to come, with all the responsibilities  
he has..."  
  
"We all have responisbilities, Squall. Most of us teach classes, y'know, and you're the  
commander. We all have busy lives, including Dorin. But, he'll come with us. I know it. Because  
he's our friend, and you can see it in his eyes; he misses Vira terribly. If there's someone out  
there who killed her and is still alive, without recieving any punishment, you bet that Dorin  
will want to come and pay him back. Then add Seifer into it. And Quistis. A lot of us have a   
personal stake in this. Kravis was a right hand man to Xana, and he even grew up with you guys  
for a while. Whatever responsibilities we have to our jobs will have to take a backseat to this.  
It's important. For everyone. Dorin will take the time off too," said Rinoa.  
  
Squall stopped packing for a minute to look Rinoa. Now or never, a voice inside him was  
saying. Once you all leave, you'll be busy hunting for Kravis, and dealing with wherever you  
end up. You'll have no time to ask her, and who knows what will happen. Now, Squall. Ask her now.  
It may not be the best time, but there won't be any better time for a long while. He threw the  
last shirt into his bag, and took Rinoa's hands gently. She stared into his steel blue eyes with  
a little confusion. A small smile crept across Squall's lips.  
  
"Rinoa, you're wonderful," he said.  
  
Rinoa smiled, embarrassed. "So are you, Squall."  
  
He let go of her left hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out the gold ring. He  
held it out for her to see. Squall's stomach felt like it was being clenched repeatedly. Rinoa  
looked up at him with shock.  
  
"Marry me, Rinoa. When everything has settled down and we put the rest of this behind  
us. I know that I want you in my life for as long as I live. You're a caring, sweet person and  
you make me a better man. So...how about it?"  
  
Rinoa snatched the ring out of his hand, putting on her finger a matter of seconds. She  
grinned as tears streamed down her face. Squall smiled. She'd never looked prettier. She wrapped  
her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. "Of course I will!" she exclaimed. "Thank you for  
being sort of traditional with this. I wasn't sure what you were going to do. But...yes! Yes! I  
will!"  
  
Squall hugged her back, letting her pour out her happiness and sheer excitement for a   
few minutes. She deserved this moment, after being patient with him, and everything they had been  
through. After a while, she let him go to look at the ring itself.  
  
"It's so beautiful..."  
  
"I had Zell make it for you. He's pretty good with that stuff now," Squall stated.  
  
Rinoa grinned. "That's lovely!"  
  
Squall nodded. "Yeah...But, Rin, I think we should keep this low keyed right now. Since  
we're about to leave. I know this isn't the best time, but I figured it'd be better than waiting  
until we got back. So, can we wait to make a big deal out of this until we get back?"  
  
"Of course, Squall. I understand. But...thank you for asking now. This is a bright spot  
in all this confusion," she said.  
  
Squall pulled her close into a gentle hug. "Yeah. You'll always be an angel to me,  
Rinoa. You'll always be a bright light in the darkness."  
  
Rinoa laughed. "Getting a little dramatic there, my knight."  
  
"I guess I am...sorry." He exhaled a long breath. "It was good to get it out."  
  
"Good way to start a journey," said Rinoa.  
  
He smiled at Rinoa, and kissed her, sharing a peaceful moment. The calm before the storm.  
Squall felt bad about being so happy with Rinoa. He couldn't help it. Goddammit, he loved her  
more than he could say. Words just didn't work.   
  
When he broke off the kiss, Rinoa smiled again saying, "Even better."  
  
  
KNOCK! KNOCK!!  
  
Squall knocked another time on the door to the room where Dorin was staying. Maybe he'd  
went out to deal with the Draconian Navy, or to bash the living daylights out of Odine again.   
Squall let out an exasperated sigh. If he wasn't there, tracking him down would take a little  
more time. He wanted to leave now. No, an hour ago. The sooner, the better.   
  
"Dorin, it's Squall," he called. "I went to see Ellone. There are some things I need to  
talk to you about. If you're there, open up, okay?"  
  
A moment of silence. He waited for an answer. Squall heard footsteps behind the door,  
and was relieved when Dorin opened it, motioning for him to come inside. Squall followed his  
directions, and closed the door behind him.  
  
"What did Ellone show you?" Dorin asked.  
  
Squall sighed. "A few things. One of them was a bit irrelevant to this, from when Vira  
was enrolled in Galbadia Garden. I guess she transferred to Balamb instead of quitting like she  
had said she would..."  
  
"She was going to quit?"  
  
"Yeah. She made a deal with Headmaster Martine to become a SeeD, spend a year making   
money from missions and then quit," Squall replied. "Anyway, the big thing I need to tell you  
is...Xana didn't kill Vira. Vira had done it. She killed Xana with her Final Justice spell, but  
instead of both of them dying, Vira survived."  
  
Dorin blinked. "Did it show her going through the portal?"  
  
Squall shook his head."I didn't see that. Kravis came in...slashed her in the face when   
she wasn't looking. He went through, and everything went hazy. I don't think she made it after   
that."  
Dorin said nothing but nodded. "No reason in getting hopes up." He blew out a breath and   
paused. "It couldn't hurt to keep an eye out for her though, once we go through," he added.  
  
Squall sighed. "I guess...I've hoped she'd just come back one day, but it's been two   
years. I know it doesn't hurt to keep an eye out, but...just don't get disappointed that she's   
not there. Kravis hit her very hard."  
  
"I know, I know," Dorin replied. "Let's just go get this over with," he said, sighing.  
  
"I wasn't sure if you'd want to come, with everything you've had to do being a lord..."   
Squall said.  
  
"I'll come. I need to get out of Draconia for a while anyway."  
  
"Good. It wouldn't be the same without you," Squall said. "We'll leave as soon as   
everyone's ready."  
  
"Very well," he replied.  
  
  
7. Through The Portal  
  
Following the instructions Odine had so kindly given to them when Dorin gave him another  
intimidating look, as if he would throw him through a wall, the group found the circular device  
in the Centra ruins. It had been there the whole time. Squall couldn't believe it. He remembered  
coming there maybe three years before...back during the whole Ultimecia thing. They'd gotten  
Odin at the top of the tower. Though, there had been many tough battles there; the ruins were  
not short on enemies. Tonberries were especially prominent. Hey, this was also where they'd found  
the Tonberry King. He'd passed by this very device, only taking it in as some old piece of junk  
that had long since been forgotten by the extinct civilization of Centra.   
  
It wasn't too big. About as tall as a wall in a room you'd find anywhere, with a small  
ramp leading up to it. Beside it on the right was a little keypad, held up by a thin stand. The  
whole thing was an old brass color, matching the rest of the ruins' look. There was faded writing  
along the circular bar, but Squall didn't give a damn about what it said. Only Odine did. He was  
more concerned with finding Kravis if he was still alive and making him pay for everything he'd  
done. He stared at the device and suddenly got the feeling that this was going to be a long trip,  
and one to a place he hadn't been before.  
  
Squall walked up to the keypad and brushed the dust off of the keys. He looked at them,  
and pressed the blue one. Nothing happened.  
  
"You have any idea of what you're doin?" asked Zell.  
  
Squall sighed and stepped aside, knowing Zell would take command of this situation. He'd  
always done it when it came to mechanical devices. Just like in the Deep Sea Research Center.  
"Here, Zell, you do it."  
  
He cracked is knuckles. "Don't mind if I do." Zell studied the keys on the keypad. After  
a few seconds, he pressed a few of them all in rapid succession. Nothing happened.  
  
"Master of the electronic device, eh, Chickenwuss?" Seifer quipped from behind.  
  
Zell didn't bother to turn around. "Shut up, Seifer. You wouldn't do any better." He  
pressed a large red key and stepped back. "Check it, I think I got it."  
  
There was a crackling noise that sounded like lightning. Arcs of electricity swirled   
around the circular ring, diving inward to the same spot. From there, a small black ball, that  
Squall had remembered seeing in the vision Ellone had shown him, formed and grew in a matter of  
seconds, covering the entire circle, quivering like gelatin. The crackling sound stayed, a side  
effect of a man made spell device, Squall supposed.  
  
Dorin walked up to it, touching the surface with an index finger. "I don't think this is  
anywhere we know..."  
  
"I agree," said Squall. He looked to everyone. "Guys, this might take a while. It's not  
gonna be really fun, but it's something we have to do. If we land somewhere we've really never  
been to before, remember to be civil."  
  
"Spoken by a true social butterfly and charmer extrordinare," said Irvine, smiling   
crookedly.  
  
Squall frowned. "Good one, Irvine. I'm serious. We don't know what's on the other side,  
so just be careful is all I'm saying."  
  
Not saying another word, Dorin disappeared through the portal, leaving everyone a bit  
surprised.  
  
Seifer rolled his eyes. "He's actin like he's gonna find her out there. He won't. She's  
more dead than Ultimecia."  
  
Quistis gave him a repremanding look. "Seifer, let's not forget who's out there."  
  
"I know, I know, but...eh. I'll find the bastard and make him sorry he ever heard of  
Xana," said Seifer.  
  
Squall waved everyone to the portal. "C'mon, we have to catch up."  
  
Rinoa took Squall's hand as the two of them caused ripples in the black portal before  
disappearing too. The rest followed suit. Selphie, Irvine and Zell being the last to walk   
through.  
  
"I hope they have hot dogs wherever we end up," Zell remarked.  
  
There was a large ripple in the portal, and then they were gone too. The Centra ruins  
were empty again.  
  
  
  
Author's Notes: Wowie, that was some long way to start a sequel, eh? I'm not sure   
whether this comes off as way too stupid or something, but I don't care. Now I'm just doing this  
cuz it's fun. Writing this is a blast and damn good practice. In the next chapter, we skip ahead  
a little while (week or two perhaps) and finally get to see what really happened to Vira for the  
past two years (c'mon, you know you wanna find out). Where do Squall and the gang really end up?  
Where exactly is Vira? Keep reading and you'll find out. Please R&R to let us know what you  
think. Just keep it constructive, 'kay? See ya next time. Same FF time, same FF channel. 


	2. Haunted

Disclaimer: All characters and situations from the games FFVIII and FFX are property of  
Squaresoft. I do not claim ownership of any of them. However, I do own any characters that I   
created myself or my co-author, ie. Vira Eronwil, Dorin Vachon, Kravis, ect. That's about it.   
You know the drill. We do this for fun and no profit.  
  
Chapter 2  
Haunted  
  
1. Incoming Arrival  
  
  
Squall adjusted his eyes to the lack of light and surveyed the area they'd landed in.  
  
"I don't think we're in Balamb anymore," whispered Selphie.  
  
"Hell, we're not on the same goddamn planet anymore," Seifer muttered.  
  
He was right. The room they were in was a large circular one, that was designed in a   
way that wasn't used anywhere on the planet. There were large windows, making the room have   
almost a dome-like effect, but only small streams of light filtered through. It looked like   
they'd been blocked off. The room looked like it was made of stone, with a faded red carpet   
that covered the floor and a grand stairway leading up to two elaborate double doors. On the   
other side was another doorway, but the only thing resembling a door inside of it was a mass of   
swirling white colors, like the portal that had brought them there, only...softer and brighter.   
It didn't look like it led anywhere like the one they'd come through. It looked like people   
hadn't lived there in a very long time.  
  
"Yeah, this doesn't look like anything we've ever seen," said Squall.  
  
"Hello?" called Selphie. She was answered by her own echo. "Guess nobody's home,"   
she commented.  
  
"Doesn't like anyone's been home for a while, Sunflower," replied Irvine, looking   
around at the arcane architecture. "So like, what now?"  
  
"We search the area for any proof that one or more people have been through here,"   
Dorin answered.  
  
"Judging from this dust, I'd say no one's been here in a long time. And even longer   
since anyone's kept the place up," said Quistis, rubbing the dust off her glove.  
  
"Perhaps not," Dorin replied, crouching down over an area on the floor. Brushing at   
the dust, he revealed several dark spots.  
  
"What is it?" Squall asked.  
  
"Blood," Dorin replied. "It's been here a while, though. It's dry and there was dust   
covering it."  
  
"Doesn't this place feel...sacred to you?" asked Rinoa. "I don't know what it is, but   
I get this feeling that...it's special. Almost like stepping into a museum or something."  
  
Zell looked over to the door of light. "Yeah, well, what about that, yo? It looks  
really weird. Don't we have doors in doorways normally? Not...a buncha light?"  
  
"Usually," Irvine said. "Wonder where it leads..."  
  
"One way to find out," Squall said, stepping through. He disappeared behind the light,  
leaving no trace of him behind. A moment of silence passed. No one followed Squall, all   
hesitant to go through the light. After another minute, Squall stuck his head back through the   
light, looking at them impatiently. "Looks like an elevator of some type. What are you guys   
waiting for?"  
  
Zell shrugged. "Oh, just to see if we'd hear you scream out in pain or something.   
Nothin much."  
  
"...Whatever."  
  
Rinoa giggled as she followed. "Oh come on, it woulda been kinda fun."  
  
Squall arched an eyebrow. "Traitor."  
  
"Professional rebel," Rinoa replied. "There's a difference."  
  
The group walked onto a large stone slab that had a strange symbol on it that no one   
had seen before. The symbol glowed when they all stood on it, and the stone slab lifted them   
up to another room.  
  
Selphie looked down at the symbol. "Wonder what that means..."  
  
"Hot dog?" suggested Zell.  
  
Selphie rolled her eyes. "As if. Maybe it means-"  
  
"Everybody love and peace?" said Irvine, already snickering.  
  
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Blah! Maybe it means 'cowboy who makes fun of his   
fiancee.'"  
  
"But, Sefie, that was too easy," he replied.  
  
Zell scratched his head. "I still say it could mean hot dog."  
  
"I guess we can guess Chickenwuss' first born's name," Seifer observed.  
  
"He'd have to fight Lily for that though," Quistis pointed out.  
  
"Good point."  
  
Zell scowled. "I think I have enough sense not to do that."  
  
"Y'know, Zell, this place might not have hot dogs at all," Rinoa pointed out.  
  
Zell's eyes widened. "Can I go home now?"  
  
Everyone shook their heads in exasperation. "No Zell, you're in this for the long   
haul," Squall said.  
  
"Damn..."  
  
The lift stopped and everyone looked around to see their new surroundings. It was a   
large room, with several different symbols on octagonal shapes on the floor, then the rest was   
a square shaped raised platform, with a floor that looked like it lit up at once point. There   
was a diagram of the floor on the far wall, framed, but dim. The rest of the room was made of   
the same stone as down below. To their right was a doorway leading into another room. Squall   
shrugged and started walking to it. The rest followed.   
  
"What was that?" said Irvine.  
  
Quistis shook her head. "Never seen anything like it before. Look," she pointed to   
the floor in the room Squall had just led them into, "here it is again."  
  
"Like a giant board game!" exclaimed Selphie.  
  
"It's a lock!" exclaimed Quistis. "Press the right panels on the floor and it probably  
unlocks doors and operates the lift in the other room."  
  
Squall ran one of his hands through his hair. "That must mean this place had been   
important. Important enough for them to have an elaborate security system in place. Though,   
that's gotta be the weirdest one I've ever seen."  
  
"Everything seems unlocked right now," said Quistis. "None of the tiles are lighting   
up."  
  
Rinoa tapped on one with her foot. "Maybe it's broken."  
  
"Or they don't use it anymore," said Seifer.  
  
Squall pointed to another doorway on the far side of the room. "Then let's take   
advantage of it and see if we can get out of this place. We'll probably be able to get a lay   
of the land from there."  
  
The group entered yet another room, constructed in the same as the previous two.   
"Strange style of architecture," Dorin noted. "Almost as if they've managed to manipulate   
magic into the structure itself."  
  
Rinoa looked around, a distant look on her face. "There is magic here. Very different   
kind of magic. Seems like a lot of it has collected here over time."  
  
"Can you draw it?" Selphie asked.  
  
Rinoa looked thoughtful and raised her hand over one of the glowing lines imbedded in   
the wall. She spoke a word and sparks flashed from the wall, but there was nothing else.  
  
"No, you can't. I think it operates on a different system than we're used to," Rinoa   
explained.  
  
"So that means we've got to be careful with our expenditures of spells," Squall said.  
  
"If we encounter any enemies, we should try to use our weapons as much as possible, and   
avoid using magic unless it's absolutely necessary," said Quistis.  
  
Seifer chuckled and raised his gunblade. "No problem there. It'll be interestin to   
see what kinda things they got crawlin around here."  
  
Squall frowned. "We need to be ready for an attack, but that doesn't mean it'll   
happen. We don't know. Our main priority right now is to find some locals of any sort and   
find out where we are. Then we can ask if anyone's seen Kravis."  
  
"It doesn't look like it'll be here, though," Zell commented as they passed through a   
hallway that was in a serious state of decay. "Place looks like it's been deserted for maybe   
hundreds of years."  
  
The long hallway they were travelling through now was in more of a state of disrepair  
than the previous rooms. There was still a faded red carpet, like in the room they'd landed   
in, but there was rubble and debris scattered the length of the hallway. Broken pieces from   
columns made the straight forward path through the hallway twisted and winding to the end.   
Strange lights swirled around them, like soft shooting stars that had decided not to streak   
across the night sky but to settle down and be content to float along as feathers to in the   
wind. Squall knew they were nowhere on their planet anymore. Nothing on their planet was   
this decimated and yet still full of a calm beauty.   
  
Zell tripped over a loose rock on the floor, nearly falling into Quistis. "Yeah,   
definitely deserted. With no janitors."  
  
"Though, it looked like a few people'd been around here since then," said Irvine.  
  
The group reached the entrance of the building, revealing a large stone pavillion,   
covered with yet more debris from columns that had long since fallen. More of the tiny lights   
floated freely in the air. They looked mostly white, but had trails of green, blue, and pink,   
mixing together in perfect harmony. Surrounding the building was a huge circular wall. No,   
wall wasn't the word for it. It looked more like a coliseum. Or a stadium. Oddly enough,   
there was a pathway of stone slabs, falling apart, but still steady looking, on the other side   
of the pavillion. As if people had made it after the place had been destroyed...  
  
Selphie grinned. "That's so pretty!" she exclaimed. "What do you think they are?"  
  
Rinoa let out her hand, and one of the balls of light landed in her palm. She stared at   
it for a while, the changing colors of the light highlighting her face in a way that made   
Squall catch his breath. Hyne she's so beautiful, he thought.  
  
"They're people!" she exclaimed suddenly. The little ball of light slowly floated   
upwards into the sky as Rinoa turned to them. "They're souls of people, actually, but they're   
people. I can feel their emotions, their memories, everything!"  
  
Zell raised an eyebrow. "Okay...that's weird."  
  
"Look!" Quistis said, pointing in front of them.  
  
A group of seven people stood in front of them, all dressed in very strange, elaborate   
ways. One older man with graying hair wore a long red coat, and carried a large sword. A   
younger man had tall spikey red hair, and a strange yellow outfit. The woman standing next to   
him wore a black dress, the front of it covered in belts, her hair tied up by lots of clips and   
barretts. Behind her was a large blue...the best way to describe him was a man, and a lion   
with a horn in his forehead that was cut half way. He was holding a large spear. In front of   
him was a short girl, younger than the rest, with blonde hair tied up into what looked like a   
high ponytail, wearing a very strange orange and green outfit with a ton of little ornaments   
Squall and the others didn't even recognize. At the front of the group was a girl, with short   
brown hair, parted in a way that reminded Squall of Rinoa. She was wearing a long blue skirt,   
with a white ivy and pink flowers design going up the side, and a white wrap around shirt. She   
was holding an elaborate staff. Next to her was a boy, around the same age, with spikey dyed   
blonde hair, and mismatched pant sized black overalls. He had yellow and black sneakers, and a   
short yellow and white overshirt type thing, with a hood in the back. Like the rest, he had   
strange ornaments adorning him, like what appeared to be armor on his left arm. None of them   
looked happy. The strangest part of all was that they were all transparent, like staring at   
ghosts.  
  
The girl gripped her staff tighter. "Is everyone ready?"  
  
The boy nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry. This'll all work out okay."  
  
The man with the large sword walked ahead of them. "Let's not waste any time."   
  
None of them said anything else, only followed the man with the sword towards the   
entrance of the building...walking right through Irvine, Selphie, Zell and Seifer. The people   
disappeared as they entered the building, leaving only the glowing lights in their place.  
  
"...Anyone else creeped out by that?" asked Irvine, his eyes wide and his skin going   
pale.  
  
Squall looked at Rinoa, who's brow was furrowed in thought. "They're...memories.   
Imprinted in the environment here," she finally explained. "You know how some people th ink   
ghosts are an emotional imprint on an area after something extremely stressful happens? Well,   
it's the same thing, only this place is so filled with magic, it doesn't need the stress of   
say a death or something to imprint itself on the environment."  
  
"That's...weird...and I NEVER want any of those memories walkin through me again,"   
said Zell.  
  
"Wow! That was the funkiest thing that's ever happened to me! They walked...right   
through me! Geez!" exclaimed Selphie. "I mean...wow! Wonder what other funky stuff this   
place has..."  
  
CRASH!!!  
  
As if to answer Selphie's question, a gigantic driod smashed through a crumbling wall   
next to them. It was a huge boxy machine with two big fists at the end of each arm. Squall   
drew his Lionheart, his mind off-handedly noting that the battle droid before them could dwarf   
anything the Galbadians could produce.  
  
Selphie shrunk looking at the massive droid. She looked at everyone. "Hey...anyone   
got Quezacotl? I sure don't."  
  
"That's the biggest damn droid I've ever seen," Seifer said.  
  
The droid let out a roar through it's amplifiers and raised it's fist as it zeroed in   
on Selphie. "Sefie, watch out!" shouted Irvine. Selphie jumped out of the way as it smashed   
down on her, the stone floor cracking under the force of the blow.  
  
Irvine pumped a round into the Exeter. "Nobody goes after my Sefie," he growled.  
  
He fired at the droid, hitting it in the chest. It stumbled back a step, but regained   
its composure easily.   
  
Zell jumped forward. "I think I got Quezacotl! So...yeah, let's see how it works..."   
Zell concentrated for a few seconds, his expression intense. He then faded as the large   
Quezacotl took his place, raining down streaks of white lightning onto the droid.  
  
The droid sparked and sputtered, but still stood, though it's armor was scorched in   
several places and a few gouges had been torn in it.  
  
"Damn, how do you kill that thing?" Seifer swore.  
  
Zell shrugged. "Hit it really, really hard?"  
  
Seifer rolled his eyes. "Great plan, Chickenwuss. I understand why you're not in the   
leadership position."  
  
"Bite me."  
  
Squall shot a quick reprimanding look at the two. "Not now!" he barked.  
  
The droid seemed to be sluggish now, but it still had plenty of fight left. It zeroed   
in on another of the group...  
  
"Seifer!"  
  
Seifer spun at Quistis's scream to see the droid raise it's arm and advance for him.   
Seifer stood motionless, readying Hyperion. He tuned out Quistis's screams as the droid began   
to bring it's fist down an arc on him. At the last second, he lept forward, dodging the   
attack, and embedding Hyperion in it's chest. The droid slumped forward, sparking wildly. It's   
arms fell to the ground and the body soon followed.  
  
Seifer stood over it, smirking. "See? Nothing to it."  
  
Zell grinned in a know-it-all manner. "And who said hitting it really hard would work?   
Huh? Why, I do believe it was me."  
  
Seifer looked at Zell for a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, uh huh. Good thinking, Zell.   
Next time, you try hitting it really hard."  
  
Zell crossed his arms. "I think I will."  
  
Squall looked at the wrecked droid, then down an old stone path that looked to lead out   
of the structure they were in. "We better be careful. There could be more of these. We can't   
fight all of them."  
  
"There could also be things besides these too," Quistis pointed out.  
  
Squall nodded. "Yeah. Something worse. So, I say we avoid conflict as much as   
possible. If we see anything as big as this; run. We'll probably be better off when we get out   
of this...whatever it is." He pointed to the pathway. "I think if we follow this, we should be   
able to get out. Let's move quickly."  
  
The rest agreed and moved out, into the ruined city, surrounded by monsters, memories,   
and the souls of the dead.  
  
***  
  
  
In the distance, when the group had managed to make it to the outskirts of the city,   
was a tall mountain. The top was obscured by gray clouds, the sides capped with snow and ice.   
An icy wind whipped at them already, telling them loud and clear that all who dared to climb   
the mountain would have that much in difficulty. Squall found it odd how much warmer it was   
inside the city, and even right before the mountain than it was when he even dared to stare at   
the high cliffs. The sunshine of warm day was still upon them, and he was thankful that there   
was a nice warm sun on this planet, and that the sky above them was a same famlilar blue. But,   
just one look at the mountain and the golden sun was obscured by thick heavy clouds, and if they  
weren't snowing already up there, the clouds were definitely threatening to. As cold as the  
mountain seemed, it was the only path they could take to get to whatever was beyond, and Squall  
didn't get the feeling that there was anything horrible up in the cliffs. After the past few  
years, he'd learned to trust his intuition when it came to environments and battles. Though the  
city had given him warnings, and he had been on his guard from the start, this mountain didn't  
give him a forboding feeling. In fact, it looked more magestic than anything else.   
  
"That sure looks invitin," Irvine quipped.  
  
"That is where we go from here," Squall replied. "There's nowhere else to go."  
  
Selphie pouted. "But it looks so cold! I mean...really, really cold! Lookit me! All   
I've got is my jumper! I'm not made for cold weather!"  
  
Irvine sighed, taking off his long coat and placing it around Selphie's shoulders.   
"Calm down, darlin. It shouldn't take long, right, Squall?"  
  
Squall shrugged. "Didn't you guys pack anything for cold weather?"  
  
Irvine dug into his bag, pulling out a spare jacket. "I got this. But, without   
shelter, it won't take long to get popsicleized up there."  
  
"Don't worry. If we move quickly, maybe it won't be so bad," said Zell.  
  
"And maybe a blizzard will hit us and we can all freeze to death. Fun," said Seifer.  
  
"I say we get to the top as quickly as possible, perhaps find a cave or some other   
shelter," Dorin said.  
  
Squall nodded. "Yeah. We can find a cave and stay there as long as we need to.   
Regroup, whatever. It's always easier going down a mountain than up it. Besides..." He looked   
at Selphie. "Didn't you live in Trabia? It's always cold up there."  
  
"Well, duh, but not for a while now!" Selphie replied.  
  
"Got too used to Balamb, eh?" Zell said.  
  
"Shut it, Dincht, it's not like I've had the opportunity to go back there for a while,"   
Selphie said, sticking her tongue out at him. She reached into her duffle bag, pulling out a   
red sweater. "This is the best I had. Er...I didn't think of blizzards. Like, at all. Who   
woulda thought we'd be climbing up a really high snowy mountain after coming out of..." She   
looked back at the ruined city. "Whatever that is. Looks like a city, right?  
  
"Yeah, one that hasn't been used in a long time. Looked like we were in a stadium of  
some sort," said Rinoa. She reached into her bag too, taking out a long blue coat and putting   
it on.  
  
"Makes the Centra Ruins look modern," Zell commented.  
  
"Hope all the cities here aren't like it, or we're in for a really long mission,"   
Quistis said.  
  
"We have the Centra ruins. Maybe these people have this place. Doesn't mean the whole   
planet is like this," said Squall.  
  
"Won't find out if keep standing here in the CO-OOOOOOOLD!!!" Selphie shouted, waving   
her arms for emphasis.  
  
Squall chuckled lightly, taking the lead. "Okay guys, it's a bit uphill from here."  
  
"Thank you Captain Obvious," Seifer muttered.  
  
Squall looked at Seifer over his shoulder. "Shut up, Seifer."  
  
Quistis threw her husband a dark look as they started up the mountain, but Seifer   
merely shrugged. "Hey, somebody needed to say it."  
  
  
2. Hidden in the Snow on the Mountain  
  
  
The path wound around the mountain, snaking through jagged rocks as the air got   
steadily colder. From the looks of things, the path had been kept in decent condition, which   
was strange when it lead only to a ruined city that hadn't been occupied for hundreds of years.  
  
"Wonder where this leads?" mused Rinoa as the group stopped to rest at a high ledge that   
overlooked the way they had come.  
  
"Maybe some village," said Quistis. "It is possible for some people to live in extreme   
conditions. I mean, a lot of people live in Trabia and it's damn cold out there."  
  
"Strange folks if ya ask me," Zell said, immediately receiving a whack to the back of   
the head from Selphie. "Stop hittin me, dammit!" he said.  
  
Selphie gave him a matter-of-fact look. "Then stop saying stupid things."  
  
"That's gonna be hard for Chickenwuss," Seifer said.  
  
Squall put a hand to his head. "Guys...."  
  
There was a loud thud behind them. Squall turned around, his gunblade ready for   
another attack, to see the tall lion-man creature from the memory they'd seen back in the   
ruined city. He still held a large spear, and looked more intimidating in person, with cold   
large flakes of snow sticking to his dark blue fur. He stared down at them, his eyes   
suspicious.   
  
"The bloody hell...?" Dorin muttered as he drew his blade.  
  
"I second the motion," Irvine commented.  
  
The lion-man held his spear out in front of himself, in a position to ward them off.   
"Stop. Strangers may not pass into sacred Mount Gagazet without permission from Ronso tribe."   
He paused. "No one ever come from Zanarkand without coming through mountain first..."  
  
The group looked at one another. "Well, what now?" Selphie asked.  
  
"Introduce ourselves maybe?" Rinoa suggested.  
  
Squall stepped forward, keeping his gunblade easily accessible, but not pointing it   
directly at the lion-man. "I'm Squall Leonhart. This is Rinoa Heartilly, Irvine Kinneas,   
Selphie Tilmitt, Zell Dincht, Seifer Almasy, Quistis Trepe-Almasy, and Lord Dorin Vachon.   
We're...not from around here. Who are you?"  
  
The man-lion exhaled a long breath, steam from the cold air shooting down at Squall.   
"Kimahri of Ronso tribe."  
  
Squall nodded his head respectfully. "We are looking for someone who may have came   
through here a long time ago. About two years before."  
  
"Not many people pass through Mount Gagazet, or Zanarkand. Not since Eternal Calm   
started, two years ago," Kimahri replied.  
  
"We think he may have come through here," Squall said. "He wore all black and had a   
scar across the left side of his face."  
  
Kimahri thought for a moment, looking off in the distance to the city. "One man came   
through, long time ago. Might have been him. Not here now. Went to Zanarkand, and came back   
through day later."  
  
"Think it might've been him?" Rinoa whispered.  
  
"Might be," Squall answered. To Kimahri, he asked, "Can we pass through?"  
  
Kimahri sighed and nodded. "Very well. Strange how you not come through the mountain   
on the way to Zanarkand. No ones goes other ways." He turned, and began walking farther up   
the mountain, following the path that seemed to have been laid out long before, despite the   
amount of snow that fell up there.   
  
The rest stayed behind, not sure what they were supposed to do, until Kimahri looked   
back at them over his shoulder. Although it wasn't an angry look, it was still damn   
imtimidating. Selphie made an 'eep' sound and everyone ran to catch up. Kimahri still stayed  
ahead of them, leading them to his tribe, Squall guessed. Like Quistis had said, it was   
possible for people to live in extreme conditions, and Kimahri looked like he was made for it.  
More snow collected on his fur and braids, coating his blue fur a crystaline white. Squall was  
grateful he'd come along, since he hadn't seen any caves that were good for spending the night  
on their way up, and someone who knows the terrain was always better than walking blind. That  
and Squall was relieved that for a few minutes, he didn't have to take the lead. Although  
Kimahri was a few paces ahead of them, Squall kept close enough that he could ask Kimahri   
something if he needed to.  
  
"Anyone else get the feeling we're not wanted?" Irvine muttered.  
  
"Little wonder, strange people with strange weapons and strange clothes coming from a   
dead city," Dorin replied.  
  
"He's...not like anyone back home. It sounded like this...umm...Zanarkand is an   
important place to him," said Quistis. She leaned forward and tapped Squall on the shoulder.  
  
"Hmm?" he said.  
  
"Ask him about as much as you can, Squall. We need to find out where Kravis might've   
went...and this place is very different," Quistis whispered.  
  
Squall sighed. "I doubt it'll be worth it, Kravis has two years on us, so he could be   
anywhere in this world."  
  
"Yeah, but there's a whole culture we don't understand here. Kimahri might be able to   
tell us enough about this world to get started," said Quistis. "You never know."  
  
"Well there is that," Squall admitted.  
  
They entered a rather large village that seemed to be shoved against the mountain side.   
Ronso children as large as Selphie played in the snow, the males training with polearms and   
shouting challenges to one another. Stern-faced guards greeted Kimahri at the entrance of the  
village. One, a huge Ronso with a yellow mane and an eyepatch covering his right eye, stepped   
forward. "What have you found, Kimahri Ronso?" he bellowed.  
  
"Strangers coming from Zanarkand, Biran Ronso," Kimahri replied.  
  
Biran eyed the people. There was disbelief etched across his face. "How people come   
to Zanarkand without crossing through mountain first?"  
  
"Kimahri doesn't understand it. But will. They mean no harm. Seem very lost," said   
Kimahri.   
  
Biran snorted. "Strange. Things very strange."  
  
Kimahri nodded. "Indeed. Spira becoming unsettled. Ronso feel tension even on Mount   
Gagazet. Now this."  
  
"Eternal Calm might not be so eternal," said Biran. He looked at the strangers again.   
"You talk to them, Kimahri. Mean no harm, but can cause problems. Never know."  
  
Kimahri nodded. "Kimahri will." The guards parted and Kimahri and the group proceeded   
onward. They entered a large hut that was decorated with the hides and furs of wild animals, a   
roaring fire in the middle.  
  
Kimahri motioned to the floor. "Sit," he commanded. "Need something warm to drink?"  
  
Zell sat down near the fire, looking thoughtful. "Hey, yeah, that would sound kinda-  
ow!"  
  
Selphie elbowed him in the ribs again.  
  
"Dammit, Selphie..."  
  
She gave him a sugary sweet smile. "Manners, Zell," she said.  
  
Zell frowned at her. "I have them...but I'm thirsty."  
  
"That would be fine, thank you," Dorin replied cordially, throwing a glare at Zell and   
Selphie.  
  
Selphie gave him a shocked look. "What'd I do?"  
  
"Kimahri, can you tell us about this world?" Squall cut in. "Like your recent history,   
the people living here. Anything would be very helpful."  
  
"And...what are those apparitions in Zanarkand?" asked Rinoa. "Umm...because...well...  
we saw you in one of them."  
  
Kimahri grunted, his back to them. When he turned around, he had a large kettle in one   
hand, and carried a tray of cups in another. He set down the tray at an empty spot around the   
circle, and poured a dark, watery liquid from the kettle. When he was done, he passed the cups   
around to everyone sitting around the fire. Irvine looked at his cup with wide eyes. They   
were designed for the Ronsos, which made them bigger than the cups he'd been used to. He let   
out a low whistle.  
  
Kimahri sat down, and even then, he still towered over them. He looked at Rinoa first.   
"Pyreflies in Zanarkand. They show pilgrimages from long ago. Kimahri went on pilgrimage two   
years ago with Yuna. Zanarkand where summoners would go to get Final Aeon. Defeat Sin.   
Start new Calm."  
  
"What's Sin?" Quistis asked.  
  
"Sin...hard to explain. People were taught it was punishment for using too much   
machina. Sin destroyed everything thousand years ago, left Spira to rebuild again. Came when   
Bevelle and Zanarkand were at war. Yevon religion taught summoners to fight Sin. Sin would   
come destroy everything. No large cities in Spira because of Sin. Sin came and destoryed   
towns and ruined lives. Summoners were taught to fight and defeat Sin." He paused. "But...  
Sin really armor for Yu Yevon. Sin really the last summoner's Final Aeon, used as armor to   
protect Yu Yevon, stuck in perpetual summoning. Sin always come back because summoners always   
use Final Aeon to stop it. Final aeon becomes Sin. Sin come back."  
  
"So it was an endless cycle," Seifer stated.  
  
Kimahri nodded. "Until Yuna, and Tidus found another way. Found out what Sin really   
was. Yuna sent all the aeons away, Yu Yevon had no more armor. We defeated Yu Yevon and   
started Eternal Calm. Sin won't come back."  
  
"That's good to hear," Irvine said, taking a sip of his drink. He grimaced and put it   
down.  
  
"So what did that guard say at the entrance about unrest?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Yevon religion broken up. Everyone trying to find own way now. Too many arguements.   
Something wrong. Biran feels it. Kimahri feels it. Something coming. And then you come,"   
he said.  
  
"And this was two years ago," mused Squall. "Right when the Third Sorceress War   
ended..."  
  
"Sorceress?" said Kimahri. "Kimahri want to know who you people are and where you   
come from. No one comes through Zanarkand without coming through mountain first."  
  
Squall took a deep breath. Hoooboy, here comes the hard part, he thought. "We're....  
from another world."  
  
Kimahri let this sink in for a moment before asking, "Like Tidus? You come from dream   
Zanarkand?"  
  
"Er, no. An entirely different world," explained Squall. "We come from a world where   
there is no Sin. There never has been a Sin."  
  
"Hmm...then why you come? And how?"  
  
"We came because a man that we've fought before came here. He escaped through a   
magical portal that links our world with yours."  
  
Kimahri growled, but it was barely audible. "Then you must find this man. Hope he   
has not caused Spira any problems. Hope he's not cause of unrest Kimahri feels." He paused.   
"You say Sorceress Wars. They have wars?"  
  
"Seems they like to throw one every couple of years or so," Seifer remarked before   
getting a glare of death from Quistis.  
  
"Yes, we do have wars," Dorin replied. "Nations have standing armies at all times.   
I'm a general in my home country's army myself."  
  
"Sound worse than Spira. We have only one," said Kimahri.  
  
"Consider yourselves lucky. We've all been through at least two wars ourselves,"   
Squall said.  
  
"Sorceresses...fight wars?"  
  
Everyone got quiet and Rinoa began to fidget nervously. Squall saw this and put his   
arm around her. She was brave, even when she had that nervous look on her face when someone   
who didn't understand would mention sorceress. Edea had seen Rinoa a few times after the   
whole Ultimecia encounter and had given her some help with her powers. Squall was still   
impressed with how Rinoa was able to use her powers in battle, but never give into the side   
that makes them lust for power.  
  
"In our world, we have powerful women called sorceresses, who have massively powerful   
magic," Quistis explained. "They are decendants of a god from our world, called Hyne.   
Unfortunately, the most powerful usually become insane and become heads of nations and armies.   
They usually bring war to other nations to enslave them."  
  
Kimahri sighed and shook his head. "Terrible. Very terrible. Good thing Spira only   
have one. Magic very powerful. In wrong hands, it devistates."  
  
"You have a sorceress?" Rinoa asked perplexed.  
  
He nodded. "Sort of. Stories come from uncharted parts of Spira. Woman calls   
herself Sorceress, fights fiends. Saved people. Some say those are wrong. Some say she   
kills. Stories of both. No one say for sure."  
  
Dorin's heart stopped for a moment. Could it possibly be...  
  
"Saves people from fiends," Selphie said. "Wow. Maybe we know this person?"  
  
"It possible. Stories started year ago now. People say she powerful with magic.   
Dark hair. It hard to say whether she kills fiends or people. Stories conflict. Depends on   
which person you ask," said Kimahri.  
  
"Xana maybe?" Irvine suggested.  
  
Squall shook his head. "It can't be, I saw her die when Ellone took me back."  
  
"Vira..." muttered Dorin.  
  
"But Vira wasn't a sorceress. Only half a sorceress," Zell said.  
  
"Was it possible for Xana to live?" asked Rinoa.  
  
"I didn't think so...I was sure I saw her die..." said Squall.  
  
Irvine looked at Kimahri. "Well, whaddya you think about these stories? You think   
whether she's good or not?"  
  
"Kimahri like to believe best in people. It hard. You say sorceresses fought wars,   
became insane, try to enslave people. You say about how they become like that often. Hard for   
Kimahri to think of she's all good after that. But, Kimahri not know for sure. Reserve   
judgement until a time where Kimahri might meet her. Talk to others. They might know better."  
  
Squall nodded. "I agree. We'd better not jump to conclusions just yet."  
  
"Kimahri suggest looking for man in Luca. Popular city. Place of blitzball   
tournaments. Far from Mount Gagazet, though," he said. "Reserve thought of Sorceress for   
later. Listen to stories first."  
  
Zell raised an eyebrow. "Blitzball?"  
  
"Main sport in Spira. Very popular. Two teams play in a sphere of water, try to score  
goals with the blitzball in opposing team's goal. Two rounds. Ronso's have their own team,   
Ronso Fangs. Kimahri's friend Wakka used to coach Besaid Aurochs. There is also Kilika   
Beasts, Luca Goers, and Al Bhed Psyches. Blitzball even more popular now. Mostly played in   
Luca," Kimahri explained.  
  
"Whoooa...cool!" exclaimed Zell. "I hope we get to see some of that while we're   
there!"  
  
Irvine grinned. "Yeah, that sounds pretty fun."  
  
Kimahri nodded. "Blitzball very popular. Probably will see kids practicing on the way.  
But, Kimahri suggest you stay the night before leaving. Big storm heading this way. Would be  
bad to be caught in it. We have spare huts for you to stay."  
  
"We wouldn't want to impose on you, Kimahri. You've been more than generous to us   
already, and we feel like we've trespassed on sacred ground to your people..." Squall started.  
  
Kimahri stood up, little jingling sound coming from his many ornaments accompaning it.  
He had a very large presence, one that Squall already knew he shouldn't refuse. He was a good  
person, Squall knew that. Though he was very imposing and his smile would probably cause   
Selphie to yelp, it was obvious that Kimahri was a incredibly caring soul, who did believe that  
they were from another world and meant him and his tribe no harm. His cat-like eyes focused on  
Squall as he spoke. "You go to Luca, you need more supplies. Must travel through Calm Land,  
Macalania Woods, Thunder Plains, Guadosalam, Moonflow, Mushroom Rock Road, and Mi'Hen Highroad  
before you get there. Long time on foot. You and your friends need rest before that. And bad  
storm heading this way. Never make it to bottom of the mountain in time. You stay here the  
night. Leave in the morning."  
  
Squall stood up as well, the rest of his friends following suit. There was no saying  
'no' to Kimahri. Squall bowed his head to him in respect, feeling that shaking his hand   
probably wasn't a good idea. "Thank you very much, Kimahri. It's very gracious of you to let   
us stay. And thank you again for your information on Spira and your hospitality. We really   
appreciate it."  
  
Kimahri motioned with his clawed hand to the exit of the hut, saying, "You're welcome.  
Come. Kimahri will show you place to stay. You have long journey ahead."  
  
  
3. The Coming Tide  
  
  
It was a battlefield, the sky above a dark crimson, adorned with black ash clouds.   
Fire, hot, red, blazing, was all around Vira. But she didn't seem to care. In fact, she   
enjoyed it, she relished it. It was as if she had caused the fire herself. Yes, the battle   
itself was all of her doing. She had caused the chaos around her.  
  
And she enjoyed it.  
  
A familiar man stood in front of her, older, hardened, sad, and with his sword drawn.   
It was Dorin. Vira recognized him as soon as his sword had been drawn. The Honor Blade was   
unmistakable. He attacked her, letting a fury of silver arcs slice across the heavy air,   
nearly all of them missing Vira. The last one hit, black sticky blood flowing from her wound.   
She did not care. Not at all. It didn't even hurt.  
  
She took Dorin's sword from his hands, pulling it through her stomach and out the back.  
It flew backwards in the air, melting into a silver liquid before it disintergrated. Vira   
laughed. Her laugh was not the same as it had been. It was colder. Harsher. It reminded   
her...of her mother.  
  
Dorin looked at a loss. His face yelled the sadness and pain he was feeling, a large   
contrast to how it had almost always looked to Vira. He had rarely showed emotion. Fighting  
her looked downright painful.  
  
Vira laughed again.  
  
He launched himself at her in a last ditch effort. It wasn't good enough. Not nearly   
good enough. Vira caught him, her hand wrapping her strong fingers around his neck. He   
struggled, telling her to stop the madness, come back to herself. She only smiled, saying,   
"This is myself."  
  
A yellow light came from the middle of Dorin's chest. He looked down and saw it spread,  
a thin line of golden light going across his body. In its wake was charred skin, burnt beyond   
all repair. He gave Vira one more sorrowful look before the light reached his face, leaving   
only a charred skull that an instant later floated into ash with the rest of his body, circling   
and swirling in the already ash filled air.  
  
Vira laughed again. She felt a presence behind her and as she turned, she saw those   
horrible eyes. The eyes that had haunted her for what seemed like forever. She saw them and--  
  
Jerked awake, falling onto the wooden floor. Vira quickly looked around, not   
recognizing her surroundings. Then, she remembered; she was in a boat. At the helm. And she   
had fallen asleep. She smacked herself in the head, repremanding and saying to herself how   
dangerous it can be to fall asleep while trying to steer a boat. Luck had been on her side,   
though. There were no boats around her for miles and the nearest island was still off in the  
distance. She sighed, took her place at the helm again and stared out to the ocean.  
  
Deep blue skies, dotted with the fluffiest, fullest clouds she'd ever seen stretched   
out as far as the eye could see. Underneath, crystal seas calmly laped against the sides of her   
boat. The ocean was the most brilliant she had ever seen, the peaceful greens and blues mixing  
just right. Not too far in the distance, she could make out the shape of a tiny island. Her   
destination.  
  
-Life...is very strange...If you told me two years ago that I would find my mother,  
fight her, kill her, and end up in a completely foreign world, I woulda called you insane.   
Well, if you had said that I'd make friends, might've had a relationship with a guy, and became  
important to the world, and take place in this big new war, I'd also call you insane. Insane  
but right. It's been about two years since I came to Spira, two long years. Not all of it has  
been fun, but most of it has been worth it. You never know what the future might bring. I   
once thought my future was my death. To face my mother was to die.  
  
But it wasn't.  
  
And here I am. Alive. Now my future is clouded. I'm no longer just facing an   
inevitable death at the hands of my only living relative or a future as a SeeD that I had never  
really wanted to be. In the end, my future will be whatever I want it to be, which is both  
exciting...and frightening. Whatever I want? I can be whatever I want? It's never happened  
before and I'm still not sure how to handle it.  
  
Two years ago I had made my first friends ever. They liked me for just being me, even  
when I was anti-social. And Dorin...he stood by me more than anyone. I'd be lying if his name  
hadn't crossed my mind in the time I've been here. What might've been, where he is now, how  
I sometimes wish I could see him again. I sent him to save everyone else that day. I can only  
hope they all made it out.  
  
Two years ago, I faced my mother, Xana, Anarix, whatever. She hurt me more than anyone  
else, and it would've been easier to run away, but I couldn't. I knew. I just knew it was   
something I had to do. Like...destiny. Morbid, sad, but inevitable. She was evil. Her power  
was evil. I thought I was dead when I fought her the last time...  
  
Except...I survived...and then things got more complicated...-  
  
Vira's expression hardened for a moment. She touched the scar running down the middle   
of her forehead across the bridge of her nose lightly.  
  
-There was that portal. That freaky ass portal. And there was Kravis, that cowardly   
bastard who has it in for Seifer Almasy and Quistis Trepe for some dumb ass reason. I never   
understood what his problem was, but that asshole is seriously deranged. He sucker-slashed me,  
leaving me with a scar that rivals Squall and Seifer's, then high tailed it into the mysterious  
portal, believing it'd take him to Deling City so he could start his lame revenge plan. That   
was his problem. Which became my problem when I jumped through. I wondered where in the world   
I had landed myself. None of it looked familiar. I soon realized the question wasn't was   
'Where in the world am I?' it was 'What world am I on?' That's right. I had landed myself a   
one way trip to lovely Spira, a world so damn far from Deling City it'd make your head spin.   
Everything was different, and made absolutely no sense. Hell, I was shoved into some screwed   
up prison the first few minutes I got there!  
  
So, I spent a lot of time in that prison, and guess who I should meet? Spira's very   
own savior, the bleach blonde jock boy, Tidus. We have a lot in common, though our fashion   
sense collides. Then we're broken out by a guy who's anti-social behavior would put mine and   
Dorin's to shame. Tidus seemed to know this guy, Auron, who appearantly is dead. Okay then.   
Let me know when reality makes a pit stop here so I can hitch a ride back with it. Then we   
spend a bunch of time travelling the uncharted parts of Spira because Auron didn't come back   
from the dead with a map or an idea of where the hell we were. And we all get to know each   
other, and I become friends with these guys. They're really nice people. Tidus and I have a   
lot in common, and Auron's sense of humor is similar to mine.  
  
I lost everything I had when I jumped into that portal. Everyone that meant anything   
to me, my life. So I try to make the best of it and gain new friends. I know them better  
than I knew my old friends. I spent all this time traveling with them until two months ago...  
  
Then I lose them too. Or they lose me. Whatever.  
  
A freak accident caused a landslide. I fell down this cliff, and when I came too, I   
couldn't find either of them. So I'm alone in a strange world, with only the gil I had earned   
from fighting fiends in my pocket, and my weapons.  
  
I've spent a lot of time with Tidus and Auron, getting rid of fiends haunting forests,  
saving travelers from a nasty fate. My style is so unsual here, and people seem to either fear  
me or love me. In some cases, the admiration can pay off.  
  
So, making a deal with a sailor I saved, he gives me a boat, and I head for the tiny   
island of Besaid, where Tidus probably headed to find his 'girl' as he put it, Yuna. I'm   
almost there now. If they're not there...I'll go to Luca. If they're not there, I'll back   
to Besaid and wait for them. They'll find their way there eventually. Nearly all their   
friends live there, as Tidus told me. The Blitzball guy, Wakka, the black mage, Lulu, and Yuna   
all came from Besaid and should probably still be there.   
  
What do I do after that?  
  
Find Kravis? He could be dead. Hah, not with my luck.   
  
My life is so completely weird and screwed up, sometimes I just want to laugh. For now,  
I'm content to make my way to Besaid, enjoy the scenery and give a hand wherever its needed.  
  
Maybe I'll find Kravis, maybe I'll find a way back to our world. If not, I really don't  
care. I've tried to let go expecting to somehow be able to travel back and have it be like I  
never left...Would I really want that anyway? I don't know.   
  
Maybe I can just settle down in Luca or Besaid when this is all over.  
  
A home...that'd be nice.  
  
Well, might as well keep my eye on the prize, and worry about making a home for myself  
later. No use in carrying on about something I can't solve now. I'm happy enough right now.  
  
Content, really. And free.-  
  
Vira's boat finally pulled into Besaid's docks, the few people that were there, looking  
at it curiously. She stepped off the boat, making sure to tie it to one of the polls on the   
docks, getting strange looks from the people there. One particularly curious child walked up   
to her, tugging on her coat lightly. She turned to him.  
  
"Are you from one of the unknown islands?" he asked, his eyes wide.  
  
Vira nodded. "I guess I am, yeah."  
  
"Wow!" The boy's face lit up, excited by the revelation.  
  
"Can you tell me where the town of Besaid is?" she asked.  
  
The boy pointed down the beach, to a pathway. "Go that way. Head up and to the left,   
and keep heading down the pathway. You can't miss it, ya?"  
  
Vira laughed. The boy's accent reminded her of Raijin for some reason. She nodded   
and thanked the boy, walking across the beach.  
  
Besaid was tiny. More tiny than Vira had expected. A few huts lined the sides of the  
town, giving way to a town circle, and behind it a little ways was the Besaid Temple, at least  
that was Vira's best guess. The Temples hadn't been used quite as much since Yevon had been  
dissolved, around the time she had arrived in Spira. But a New Yevon had cropped up. She   
trusted Yevon about as far as she could throw a Chimera fiend. It was no different for New   
Yevon. She always made it a point to be super cautious near anyone associated with Yevon, or   
New Yevon. Hell, anything related to Yevon. She did not want to spend another year half sick   
and stuck in a prison. Nope. Not after that.  
  
The townspeople of Besaid walked slowly, going about their everyday lives. Near the  
temple, children played with a dog, running around as it followed and barked. Some of the  
villagers threw odd glances at Vira; not many visitors came to Besaid. Not to mention the   
rumors that followed her around these days. Save a few people and it radiates from even the   
farthest unknown reaches of a planet to the most known towns. That still baffled her.  
  
Vira scanned the town, her focus falling on a pregnant woman in a black dress,  
speaking heatedly with a man with orange hair that spiked up very tall in the front. Next to  
him were two girls; one looked to be Vira's age with short light brown hair, wearing a white  
wrap shirt and a long blue skirt. The other girl was younger, wearing shorts, a sleeveless   
shirt, and her hair pulled up into a spikey blonde ponytail. The blonde girl Vira recognized  
as an Al Bhed; they all dressed a particular way. It took only a second to recognize the rest  
from Tidus's long descriptions from the many times he told Vira of his story. They could only  
be Rikku, Wakka the blitzball player, Lulu the black mage, and Yuna...Tidus's 'girl.' Yuna was  
holding a small and strange sphere in her hands that Vira suddenly recognized...  
  
"Hey!"  
  
She took off running toward the group, taking only a few seconds to reach them. They  
all regarded her with caution. Lulu gave her a repremanding look.  
  
"I'm sorry, but Yuna can't talk right--"  
  
Vira shook her head. "No, no, it's not that. I mean, I'm pleased to finally meet you  
Yuna," she nodded to Yuna for a brief moment, "but that's not what I'm here for."  
  
"Who're you?" asked Wakka.  
  
Vira smiled. "I'm Vira." She pointed to the sphere Yuna was holding. "And I know  
where that came from."  
  
The look of shock the spreaded over their faces almost made Vira laugh. Wakka's mouth  
made a strange elongated 'o' shape, Rikku's green eyes widened and she held her hands to her   
mouth, Lulu regarded Vira with a suspicious look, and Yuna's eyes squinted as though she was  
concentrating deeply.  
  
Vira's smile faltered, turning into a nervous one when their penetrating glances didn't  
subside after a moment. She chuckled and decided to tell them what she knew, "That sphere came  
from a prison, way up north. I can't tell you exactly where it is because I don't know. Tidus,  
he found that sphere in a prison cell and tried taping himself a few times. After a while, he  
gave up and threw the thing out. It's odd, I guess it must've found its way here by accident.  
We honestly thought we'd never see it again."  
  
Wakka blinked his eye, his face blank.  
  
"Y-you've seen Tidus?" asked Yuna.  
  
She nodded. "Yeah. Up until about two months ago. Y'see, we were in the prison   
together for a while, but then his friend Auron--"  
  
"Sir Auron! Impossible! He went to the Farplane!" Lulu protested.  
  
Vira gave another nervous chuckle and scratched the back of her neck. "Weeeell...he   
did, but he came back. He's been travelling with us, trying to find our way back here."  
  
"Why Besaid?" said Rikku.  
  
"Because Tidus wanted to see Yuna and make sure she was okay." Vira looked at Yuna,  
smiling at her. "He really misses you. You were all he talked about. That, and you guys, of  
course. The whole journey."  
  
"But why did it take you so long?" Lulu asked.  
  
Vira shrugged. "It's a long story. We were stuck in that prison a long time. And  
then spent an equally long time wandering from island to island because Auron didn't come back  
from the Farplane with a map. Actually, I'm here looking for them. I take it you haven't  
seen them. I figured they'd be here or Luca by now. We were separated two months ago by this  
freak landslide. I've been trying to find them again since."  
  
"What makes you think we believe you, eh?" said Wakka, crossing his arms, his voice  
taking a serious tone.  
  
Vira stared Wakka in the eye. Besides the stories Tidus had told her (which anyone   
could've found out), there really wasn't any proof that she'd been there with him...unless...  
  
"Wha--hey!"  
  
She grabbed the sphere out of Yuna's hands, looking it over feverishly for a few   
seconds, trying to find out how to work this particular one. A moment later, a look of almost  
triumph crossed her face.  
  
"Aha!" Vira exclaimed. She held out the sphere for everyone to see. "If you don't   
believe me, take a look at this..."  
  
Though the reception was very fuzzy, and the look of the place still very much   
underwater, Tidus again was banging on the cell door, yelling for a way out. A garbled voice  
of a girl came over the sound of static that Vira recognized as her own.  
  
"I think you should give it up, they ain't gonna hear you. Take this thing for a sec,  
okay?"  
  
Tidus nodded, grabbing the sphere from Vira's hands and turning it around until she   
came onto the screen. "Yeah, yeah..."  
  
"So these things record stuff?"  
  
"Yep," said Tidus.  
  
"You said this one looks different. Why's that?"  
  
"No idea. But, it's not gonna do us much good anyway. I think the reception's busted  
or somethin..."  
  
Vira sighed. "Like a letter in a bottle thrown out to sea, huh?"  
  
"Pretty much," Tidus replied. "I don't think we're gonna get any help from this stupid  
thing."  
  
Vira faded out, as did the dark cell around her, static taking over the entire image.   
The scene was over, but Vira had proved that she'd been there.  
  
It was good enough for Rikku. She bounced up and down, clutching Yuna's right arm.  
"Yunie! Tidus really is alive! And Auron's back too! This is great! We gotta go find them!"  
  
Wakka's brow furrowed as he shook his head. "I dunno, Yuna's still got a lotta people  
to see..."  
  
"Wakka! We already talked about this! Yunie wants to find him! It's that much   
easier now that we've got--"  
  
"Vira," said Vira.  
  
"Right! Vira! It'll take no time! And I promise that we'll be real stealthy and not  
attract attention to ourselves, right, Yunie?"  
  
Yuna didn't respond.  
  
"Yunie?"  
  
Yuna had a far off look in her eyes, like she was remembering something that had  
happened long ago. Vira guessed she was remembering something about Tidus. After a moment,  
Yuna shook her head, and her focus came back to the moment.  
  
"We can go to Luca. You, me and Vira will go. We'll stay overnight at the hotel, and  
search the town for them. It'll take no time at all. But, Wakka, please understand; I have  
to do this. Tidus is important to me. You want to see him again, don't you?"  
  
"O-o-of course I do, Yuna. That's not even a question. I just don't want you to get  
in trouble or anythin for missin your meetings..." Wakka stammered.  
  
"I have to do what makes me happy. For once, I can put my needs ahead of someone   
else's. You wanted more evidence about Tidus, and you recieved it. I don't think it needs  
further discussing," said Yuna, her voice steady and full of resolve.  
  
Lulu put an arm around Wakka's shoulder. "We'll stay here in case they come here while  
you three are away." She looked at Wakka. "This is absolutely amazing, isn't it? I can't   
believe it..."  
  
"Yeah..." Wakka said absently. "Amazing..."  
  
"I'm sorry. I know this is a lot to put on all of you, and it sounds completely   
impossible. I've learned that almost anything is possible these days. It...uhh...might be  
hard to believe, but I'm not from around here--Spira, I mean," Vira said.  
  
"So where are you from?" asked Lulu.  
  
******  
  
  
Vira sat on the side of the single bed, one of many that still occupied the Crusader's  
Lodge. Wakka had told her she could stay there for the night before she, Yuna and Rikku   
headed on the boats for Luca the next morning. Not too many of the Crusaders came to the lodge   
those days. With Sin a thing of the past, the Crusaders spent more time on the road just   
defending those in need of help. So Vira was alone in the Crusader's Lodge that night.   
  
There were six beds, three to a row. Each had a nightstand next to them, with a   
little reading lamp. There was a window in the back, letting in soft moonlight, scattered   
left over Crusader's supplies underneath it. Next to the two front beds was a partition   
leading into the front of the lodge, where there was a table, two benches, and a wooden   
desk that had someone working behind it from time to time. Each bed was dressed in the same   
light blue decor that surrounded the lodge. It was calm and inviting. Vira felt a good   
night sleep was needed. No more falling asleep at the helm for her. Anymore of that and   
she'd be having regular nightmares. That would really suck.  
  
Vira took her boots off, carefully unlacing them and setting them next to her bed.   
They'd been pretty good to her, considering how much she'd walked in the past year. She   
never thought she'd get so much use out of them. The only article of clothing of her old   
life left. She didn't even have her necklace anymore. Sometimes this change of style made   
her feel like she really had turned into a new person with a new life. But there was still   
a side of her that secretly wished that Dorin, Squall and the gang would show up one day and   
say how long they'd been searching for her, and how much they missed her. There was a part of   
her that still missed them, Dorin the most after this recent nightmare. Killing him was like   
killing everything that he had meant to her, like killing the open and good part of her.   
Because through all his pestering, he had gotten through to her. Relating to people was sort   
of complicated at times, but it had to be worth it. She couldnt've gone through everything   
in the past two years on her own. Tidus and Auron had helped her so much, and because she   
let them in. She thanked all her old friends for teaching her that. She'd never forget it.  
  
She'd spent the rest of the day explaining most of her life and world to Yuna, Rikku,   
Lulu and Wakka, who never balked at any of it. They seemed very interested and believed every  
word she spoke. It was refreshing to tell people that she didn't come from Spira and have   
them believe her. Lulu asked a lot of questions about magic, the drawing system that Vira had   
abandoned a long time ago, and sorceresses. When she explained about sorceresses, she also   
explained about knights, which Yuna likened to a summoner and her guardians. Vira had said it  
was similar, except that sorceresses were more likely to become insane and lust for more power  
because of their powers, talking about Ultimecia, and Adel as good examples. And her mother,   
of course. None of them treated her differently for realizing how awful her mother had been.   
In fact, she could see them respect her more after hearing it. Lulu said that taking the  
responsibility of taking on Xana without thought of her own life was commendable. Wakka   
scratched his head a lot, asking questions about the sports played in the various cities, and   
how much machina they used. Rikku had been especially interested in Garden. All of them had   
been interested in Esthar, saying it sounded a lot like how Tidus had desribed his Zanarkand.  
Vira finally had to explain, through the battle with Xana, that she was a sorceress, and the  
four all realized how much sense it made, after hearing the rumors. They told Vira that the  
rumor stared about a year before, spreading down from the north. Most said that the 'Sorcerss'  
was a good person, just trying to help, while other said she was out to destroy the world.   
Vira told them that she was the only one, so there was no way another sorceress could be  
running around Spira causing trouble. It was the first time Vira had admitted to herself that  
she was a full fledged sorceress now. Until then, she'd tried to deny it, but it was staring  
her in the face now. Thinking that there might be another one out there was just lunacy. She  
was the only one. And her powers had to've come from Xana...  
  
After Vira had finished explaining all she could think of, she had asked Wakka where   
she could sleep, which brought her to the lodge. They all thanked her for travelling with   
Tidus and Auron for the time she had and all were confident they'd find them soon.  
  
"Vira?"  
  
She looked up to see Yuna, standing in front of her, her small hands clasped in each  
other. There was something that told Vira that Yuna had something on her mind. She motioned   
for her to take a seat on the bed across from her. "Yeah, Yuna? Have a seat."  
  
Yuna sat down on the bed Vira had motioned to. "I know you talked a lot about   
sorceresses, and where they came from, your mother, and having to kill her, and a bit about   
your friends. But, I just wanted to ask you about something."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't you ever get lonely? I mean, you had just made your first friends before you   
came here, then you met Tidus and Sir Auron and then lost them. Sometimes I've felt stuck in   
this endless cycle of life where I'm doing the same thing over and over. The same pattern.   
Don't you ever feel that's the way it is with you and friends? I don't mean to sound mean or   
anything. I'm sorry I--"  
  
Vira put a hand up to stop her. "Yuna, it's okay. I've wondered that myself a lot.   
But, I can't let it get to me. I am who I am, and no matter where I go, my friends will   
always be a part of me. If I keep myself open, I can make new friends. Like maybe you guys.   
It's hard not to feel bogged down sometimes, though."  
  
"You've never had a knight either, or a guardian," Yuna commented.  
  
Vira chuckled. "I don't need one. If there's one thing I've gotten better at in   
these past few years, it's fighting. Sorceresses had knights to get rid of people that the   
sorceresses didn't want to deal with or something. I never paid too much attention to it. I   
think Edea had Seifer as a knight when she was controlled by Ultimecia, and I'm sure Squall is   
Rinoa's knight since that'd just be their style, but not all sorceresses have knights. I may   
be open to having friends, but I still know how to take care of myself."  
  
Yuna smiled. "It must be nice to just travel around like you have, helping people,   
and being able to do it yourself."  
  
"I guess. People need help, I have the power to help them, so I do."  
  
Yuna's smile faltered. "You said sorceresses go insane a lot. Don't you worry about   
that?"  
  
Vira shrugged the question off, smiling. "Nah. I'm not too worried."  
  
Her smile came back in full force. "That's wonderful! I wish I had your confidence."  
  
"With what I've heard Tidus say about you, you have more than I ever will."  
  
Yuna blushed. "He...talked about me?" She nearly hid her face in her hands, speaking in  
an embarrassed voice.  
  
Vira grinned. "Oh, yeah. Like I said earlier today; all the time. He's crazy about   
you. No doubt about it."  
  
"Thank you...for telling me," Yuna said. She stood up from the bed, looking towards   
the exit, then back at Vira. "I think I should go to sleep now. We have a long day ahead of   
us. Good night, Vira. It's been great meeting you."  
  
"You too, Yuna. G'night."  
  
She waved and then left, Vira alone in the lodge again. She sighed. Yuna's questions   
had made a lot of sense. A sorceress and a summoner had some similarities. Vira wished she   
had the strength and will power Yuna had. But, she suspected that even when surrounded by   
friends, Yuna still felt lonely. Lonely for Tidus, no doubt. She loved him, and still did.   
That was the kind of loneliness she was really asking about. Not friends that had been lost   
in a perpetual cycle, but losing a loved one, over and over. She brought up a valid point,   
though. Were these nightmares a premonition of things to come? Had it started?  
  
"You're on the path now, Vira. It's only a matter of time."  
  
The voice who spoke was unmistakable. It was the cruel voice of her mother. Vira   
looked up and saw her, or more appropriately, her ghostly image, floating silently at the edge   
of her bed. Vira leapt from her sitting position, taking out her chain-sword and brandishing   
it at her former mother.  
  
"Out. Now. I don't care how you're here, whether my mind or some freaky on leave from  
Hell, but go back now or I'll--"  
  
"You'll what? Kill me? Please. You already did that. I'm beyond death, daughter.   
It's so much better than I had thought," said Xana, smiling. "And since you did me a favor,   
I'll do one for you; heed my warning. My powers were forged in hate, and their insanity will   
corrupt your soul. You know how sorceresses get the lust for power. I had it, in addition to   
my grudge against Hyne. It fueled my searches, and with each sorceress I killed, my power grew.   
My madness grew. It grew until the power had its own hate, its own lust for blood, and its own   
insanity. It took whatever sanity I had left and pushed me over the edge. It ate at my very   
soul until there was nothing left, and it will do the same for you."  
  
Vira scowled. "Thank you, Mrs. Ghost Of Winter Solstice Past."  
  
"It's true," Xana persisted, still smiling. "Some sorceresses have the choice of   
whether to become a bastien of hope or the path of destruction by giving into the lust for   
power. You, on the other hand, have no choice. My power is poison. You will become worse   
than I was. It makes me proud."  
  
"Look, I'm not sure whether this is just my freaky mind playing tricks on me or not, but  
all I have to say to you is get the hell out of here. NOW!" Vira yelled.  
  
Xana put her hands up, and Vira saw how they were transparent, the wall across from her  
seen through them. "Fine. But I will be back to warn you, among other things."   
  
She receded into the wall, fading into nothing before she actually reached it. Vira   
was now finally alone in the lodge. She collapsed onto the bed, throwing her coat on the one   
next to her, turning off the light on the nightstand, and tried to fall asleep, hoping it had   
just been her mind playing tricks on her.  
  
  
  
Author's Comments: Yeah, I know, it's been a while. Probably too long. Oh well! Life   
has a way of bogging you down in this area, though I have a lot of this story actually written.  
Not a ton of it is editted, though. The next chapter will take place in Luca, as Rikku, Yuna  
and Vira spend a day searching for Tidus and Auron, and Vira runs into people who aren't so  
into the 'Sorceress.' What's with the vision of Xana dancing in her head? Gotta read more to  
find out. And it's not a really cheap way of bringing back a character. :P I'd love to go over  
this chapter some more for editting and accuracy, but I'm just too tired. Sorry. :\ Anyway,  
stay tuned and we'll have chapter three written up as soon as possible. As always, please R&R  
to let us know what ya think. Until next time, this is Eve saying that I cringe when I see Yuna  
and Rikku dressed in their new outfits for FFX-2... 


	3. Coming to Luca

Chapter 3 Coming to Luca  
  
1. Golden Dawn  
  
Golden light peeked over the horizon. Squall sat at the edge of the cliff overlooking the vast ocean, and watched as the sun rose. A little ways out was what looked like more ruins to him. The top of what might've been a connecting tower poked out of the water, the rest hidden underneath. Squall took a deep breath and let it out. The morning air was crisp and fresh, and there was a certain silent beauty that could only be experienced in the moments of the morning when you were alone. Squall glanced over his shoulder for a moment, looking back at the travel agency. Rin's Travel Agencies seemed to be everywhere in Spira, they'd already stayed in a few others. Squall wasn't quite sure how long it'd been since they arrived in Spira. He wasn't sure if they measured time in weeks or what, but it had at least been several days since the group had left Kimahri at the bottom of Mount Gagazet. Kimahri had been kind enough to give them some supplies, and a general idea of where to go from there. He hadn't said that much when they left, and Squall could tell that Kimahri still wasn't sure whether to make them out to be friends or foes. Couldn't blame him, really. The whole situation was weirder than anything Squall had encountered before.  
  
And of course, it had to take them even longer to find their way around, especially in the Macalania Woods. Squall briefly remembered how they spent hours and hours walking the twisted branch paths through the woods, and then being held up longer by strange monsters jumping out to attack them. The Thunder Plains had been worse, though. Not only had there been monsters there-huge ones in fact-but the constant lightning shooting from the sky made traveling across the plains incredibly dangerous. That night they hadn't even tried to go through the entire length of the plains and stayed in the first of Rin's Travel Agencies they'd come across.  
  
Rin himself had been there, and had taken notice of their strange clothing and weapons as soon as they walked through the door. Squall had tried to explain what their situation was, but half way through was interrupted by a woman yelling something to Rin in a language Squall had never heard before. Rin seemed to know, he replied to the woman and she left. When she had, Rin explained that he and the woman were Al Bhed. It took a bit more explaining for Squall and the others to understand what Al Bhed were, and what that meant. As usual, Quistis was fascinated by this and asked Rin if there were ways to learn the language, to which he went into a long elucidation of the primaries and gave Quistis a stack of them to look over that night. Squall felt lucky that Rin was the understanding type. So far, they hadn't run into anyone in Spira who had hated them off the bat for their strange clothing and weapons. Thank Hyne for small favors.  
  
The trip after that had been a little more straight forward, though Selphie had hated going through all the places that had been cold. She complained every time it dipped below a certain temperature, and to that Zell and Irvine would begin to tease her about it.  
  
After what seemed like forever to Squall, they had reached the Mi'hen Highroad, the last stop before they would reach Luca. It had taken them a long time, longer in perception than time perhaps, but they were almost there. By midday, they'd be there. Squall's only worry was if Kravis wasn't there. They hadn't seen him anywhere on the way, and they'd been over a great deal of Spira already. If he wasn't there, what then? Where would they look?  
  
However, there was maybe one more thing that bothered Squall; the whispers about the Sorceress. Although he had told everyone to keep a low profile while they were walking about Spira, Squall didn't hestitate to keep his ear sharp if he heard anyone mention rumors about the Sorceress. Guadosalam in particular didn't favor her. As they passed through, Squall heard a group of guados speaking about a tiny village on one of the lesser known islands that had been destroyed by her, and that allowing her to just have free reign over the world was madness. There were a few who spoke of her praises, most of them along the Moonflow, where Selphie had become so excited to ride the strange looking animal called the Shoopuf, that she fell overboard and right into the waters of the Moonflow. Not many people traveled along Mushroom Rock Road, so Squall hadn't heard neither a favorable or unfavorable story about the Sorceress. But, more often than not, he had heard about the power she held, how she dressed nearly all in black and red, and that her hair was of a very dark brown. He didn't want to think that Xana had managed to survive, even after what he'd seen, but the evidence was mounting against him. And them.  
  
If Xana really was still alive, Spira and his world would be in trouble. And Squall would bet that Dorin would have a hard time dealing with it. Squall knew Dorin wanted this Sorceress to be Vira, and Squall wanted it too. But he kept hearing more bad stories than good, and Vira had never been like her mother. She never killed without reason. And she wasn't a Sorceress. If it came down to it, there was a possibility that there'd be another Sorceress War on his hands, and this time it'd be in a world Squall knew nearly nothing about. Xana released onto a new world was a horrifying thought.  
  
Squall sighed again.  
  
He would make sure to keep a sharp eye out for her in Luca. Anyone who might look like her. Her and Kravis.another horrifying thought. The two of them back together was enough to make Squall want to shove his fist through something. It made sense, though. So, keep an eye out for two maniacs in a city full of people.  
  
No problem.  
  
At least the ride to Luca would be quick. Rin had told Squall how machina had been banned by Yevon back at the beginning of the trouble with Sin, like Kimahri had mentioned. But, Al Bhed hadn't believed that machina had been to blame and had kept using it the whole time. Now that Yevon was dismantled, machina were more prominent all over Spira. The Highroad was covered in little machina scooters that shuttled travelers from the Highroad to the entrance to Luca. Although the walk to see more of the Spiran scenery would've been good, Squall figured the rest had earned enough of a break and that the fastest, easiest route to Luca would just be to take one of the machina scooters.  
  
The first golden rays of sunshine that had been peaking out over the horizon a moment before were now shining brilliantly, orange and pink hues bleeding into the blue above them, getting brighter and bluer by the moment.  
  
"You have that look on your face again."  
  
Squall looked to his right side and saw that Rinoa had snuck up on him, looking as though she'd just woken up. She stared down at him with her deep brown eyes and Squall managed a small smile.  
  
"What look?" he asked.  
  
Rinoa shook her head and sat down next to him, dangling her feet off the edge of the cliff. In that moment, she looked seventeen again, back in Fisherman's Horizon the night of the concert. Squall remembered how she'd gotten herself all dressed up in the white dress he'd seen her in when they met, and everyone had organized the whole concert just to get them together. Man, had that annoyed Squall at the time. He couldn't understand why everyone had to meddle in his life so much. But Rinoa had been right. She told him then that he could count on them, and that it was easier to lead when you let some people in. Rinoa's feet had dangled off the edge of the ledge they'd been sitting on, her tiny white shoes swaying back and forth. Some her hair had fallen in her face and she pushed it back with one hand. She was beautiful that night. Even if Squall hadn't admitted it, he knew. Hell, he might've been a lone wolf, but he was still a teenage boy.  
  
Now Rinoa's feet dangled off the ledge of the cliff they sat on as the Spiran sun rose higher into the clear sky. In the early morning light, she looked no older than seventeen although she had grown her hair so that all of it was the same length, and that over the past three years she'd lost some of that baby fat that seems to stick around for a long time on some teenagers and then is lost early for others. Despite the changes to her appearance and the shining ring on her finger that was almost a declaration of adulthood, she looked like a teenager still.  
  
Squall felt everything fall away for a moment as he remembered all this, and a fresh wave of love for Rinoa overcame him. He would never understand how he ended up with her-or anyone for that matter-but Squall felt so lucky to have her. Even just to be near her.  
  
"You know, that look you get when you're brooding about something. You look as though you have the weight of the world on your shoulders," Rinoa said.  
  
Squall's small smile faded away. "I do. Two worlds, actually."  
  
"Now you're being overly dramatic."  
  
"Am I?"  
  
Rinoa nodded. "I know that Kravis has done terrible things back home, and he needs to pay for those, but we haven't heard one nasty thing about him the whole time we've been here. We've traveled a long way already and not a single word. I know Kimahri put a lot of pressure on you about making sure he hasn't caused trouble, but so far, it doesn't seem like he has."  
  
Squall frowned and leaned forward, resting his forehead in one hand. "That just means he's planning something big that he hasn't done yet.maybe with someone else."  
  
"You worry too much," Rinoa stated, leaning forward to look at him. "And you're doing that pose you do when you're thinking really hard. See?" She imitated his position. Squall threw a sideways glance at her.  
  
"No," Squall said, shaking his head. "I'm not worrying too much. This is a whole new world, Kravis is here somewhere, and the more we travel, the more we hear about this Sorceress who."  
  
Rinoa squinted her eyes and frowned. "You think it's Xana."  
  
"I wish it was Vira, but she was only half sorceress."  
  
"Maybe she became a sorceress when Xana died.?"  
  
Squall shook his head. "That's just wishful thinking. Vira was the only half sorceress in the history of the world, odds are she probably wouldn't just inherit powers like regular sorceresses do. It can only be Xana. And that's probably why Kravis is laying low. The two of them are up to something. As usual, we'll end up having to deal with it. That would be what, our.fourth Sorceress War and third war we've fought in? And now we'd drag an unknown world to us into our fight? It's just not right. It's bad enough having Kravis here, but with Xana.this world, and ours could be caught in another huge war.and the only one who ever put a dent in Xana's armor is dead."  
  
Rinoa put a hand on Squall's shoulder. "Calm down," she said soothingly. "It's not always your fault just because you command SeeD. You can't control the world, Squall. Any of them. I don't want Xana to be back either. She caused so much pain for everyone, and the thought of her being back scares me."  
  
"Rin." he started.  
  
She continued before letting Squall get another word in. "As much as it scares me, I don't want to believe it's really true until I see it with my own eyes. Just take things as they come, Squall. And remember to talk to us if you're worried, okay?"  
  
Squall sighed. "Rinoa, you know it's hard to do that."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I feel responsible for everyone. I have to lead through a place I don't know, and deal with all these new people I've never heard of. Sometimes.sometimes I feel like Laguna."  
  
"Your father."  
  
Squall waved his hand. "Yeah, yeah. He just fell into being president. It was never what he wished to be. He didn't grow up saying, 'Someday, I wanna become president of Esthar!' But things ended up going one way and he ended up as president. I'm Commander of SeeD. I never wanted to be a leader, but somehow everyone always looked to me to tell them what to do and where to go. 'We'll follow you, Squall.' Sometimes."  
  
There was a moment of silence as Squall let his sentence drop. A gentle breeze rustled the grass around them. Birds sang in the trees. Rinoa took her hand from Squall's shoulder and put it on his hand, intertwining her fingers in his. She gave him a small smile. "You sometimes wonder about the path never traveled. If you had decided not to be a SeeD after the Ultimecia battle."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"If there's one thing I've always known about you it's this; people listen to you. When you speak, you command their attention. Even when I thought you were a shitty leader, everyone still valued your opinion highly. I know you better now. You are a leader type. Maybe someday you'll feel like you belong in the role you have." Rinoa broadened her smile. "At least I'll always be around to make sure you're not alone."  
  
Squall smiled. "Thanks, Rinoa."  
  
She nodded and looked at the sun, now almost fully risen into the sky. "This is a beautiful place."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"C'mon inside," Rinoa said as she let go of Squall's hand and stood up. She brushed the dust off her legs and jacket. "Breakfast is gonna be ready in a minute. At least Spira has some things in common with us: breakfasts are almost the same."  
  
Squall looked up at her. "What're they serving today?"  
  
"Scrambled eggs. And their own type of toast."  
  
He stood up, dusting off his pants and throwing one last glance at the sunrise. "Okay. Sounds good."  
  
Rinoa led him back to the travel agency, looping her arm in his. "So.when do we get to Luca today?"  
  
"By midday. Maybe earlier. We'll have a lot of ground to cover. And a lot to look for."  
  
The two stepped inside the agency, the smell of breakfast welcoming them as they did. Beginning the Search  
  
"Wow. I didn't know Luca was so.big." Vira said as she, Rikku and Yuna walked down the plank from their boat and onto the dock.  
  
Rikku gave her a funny sort of grin. "What? You mean you didn't hear about Luca being one of the biggest cities in Spira?"  
  
"Tidus and Auron never made it sound as big at this," Vira replied.  
  
Yuna smiled. "Like I said with Kilika, now that Sin is gone, the people of Spira feel free to truly rebuild their world without constant fear it'll be torn down again. Luca has gained two new districts since the Eternal Calm started. They've also built several more docks and more housing for people. Much more trade takes place here these days. Especially with spheres and weapons. Everyone feels more confident of being able to take on whatever it thrown at them, so they go on more travels, more adventures. Fiends don't scare people like Sin did."  
  
Boy, is Yuna ever right, Vira thought.  
  
Luca looked bigger than Deling City and more welcoming. People disembarked from the boat and rushed in different directions. Some were welcomed by those who had been waiting for them, others were yelling and chasing a dog at the end of the dock. Boxes of who knows what were being unloaded by workers, who took them away with machina fork lifts. As the boat had approached the dock, Vira had gotten a full view of the city and had seen the massive blitzball stadium that was still the main attraction of Luca. The streets were alive with all types of people rushing from here to there, tall apartment buildings lined the residential district, and children laughed as they practiced their blitzball moves. Large decorative balloons floated as high as the buildings, and the noises of a bustling city were as vibrant as the people inside. Deling City had never seemed as alive as Luca.  
  
"Now," said Rikku, bringing Vira back to the task at hand, "we have to remain low here. We look for Tidus and Auron, but we try to make sure that we don't draw too much attention to ourselves. The keyword here is.incognito!"  
  
Yuna smiled. "Rikku, you still look like you. That's not exactly incognito, is it?"  
  
Rikku shrugged. "You get what I mean, Yunie! You're a really popular person in Spira, and the less you're seen, the better." She looked at Vira. "You too. This city's big, and I'm sure a lotta people here have heard of the Sorceress already. Not everyone thinks you're super fantastico."  
  
"Super fantastico?" repeated Vira.  
  
"Anyway! Spira's still trying to find its way. There's a lot of tension between everyone, and it's best if we don't add to it. Celebrity status sometimes isn't all that good. The waaaaalls have eeeeeeeyes!" Rikku waved her fingers.  
  
Yuna rolled her eyes. "Rikku, we understand. I wouldn't go so far as to talk about walls having eyes, but you are right. Drawing attention to ourselves would only hamper our search."  
  
"So, what's first?" asked Rikku.  
  
"They'd probably come in at the docks, right Vira?" said Yuna.  
  
Vira nodded. "Probably."  
  
"Okay, so we split up and start at the docks. We'll be spending the night at the Hotel Luca. After we finish searching the docks, we meet there for lunch, all right?"  
  
The other two nodded.  
  
"Vira, will you be okay on your own? You've never been here before," said Yuna.  
  
Vira nodded. "No problemo. These docks go in a circle, right?"  
  
"Yes, and from there it branches out into the other districts. The hotel and stadium are in the middle, and the other districts go from there. There's the theater district, merchant district, restaurant district, and residential district. Some of the districts have been around for a long time, but were just expanded upon since the Eternal Calm started. After lunch, we'll search the districts if we haven't found them yet and then meet back at the hotel for dinner."  
  
"Sounds good!" said Rikku.  
  
"Okay. Docks go in a circle, hotel and stadium in the middle. Meet back at hotel for lunch. Got it," Vira said.  
  
Yuna sighed heavily, nodding at the two girls. "Okay then. Good luck."  
  
Vira gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, Yuna. They'll either be here, or back in Besaid. Either way, we'll be finding them soon."  
  
"Thanks," Yuna replied, smiling back. She turned towards the crowded end of the dock. "See you two at lunch."  
  
"Bye," Rikku and Vira said as Yuna disappeared into the crowd.  
  
Rikku turned to Vira and gave her a grin and wink as she said, "Remember, key word, incogneatio! See ya!" Then Rikku too disappeared into the crowd.  
  
Vira stood next to the boat alone with a puzzled look on her face. "Incogneatio?"  
  
Succession of Witches and Rumors  
  
Squall and the others arrived in Luca a little before noontime, like Squall had anticipated. The large multi level staircase brought them directly into Luca's restaurant district. Staring at the crowd, the running children, rushing adults, and groups gathered around different stands selling food and flowers, Squall wished he had a map. Luca seemed huge, and he had no idea where to begin.  
  
"Wow! This place is probably bigger than Deling!" exclaimed Selphie.  
  
"Possibly larger than Esthar also," said Dorin. "Are there any places that sell maps?"  
  
Squall shrugged. "Not sure, but we sure do need one. If we're going to look for Kravis, we're gonna need to know where to look."  
  
"Perhaps there's a tourist center," said Quistis. She started walking away from the group, towards a woman buying flowers from one of the stands. "I'll ask someone," she added.  
  
Quistis tapped the woman on the shoulder as she paid for her flowers. The woman turned around, her face looking confused. "Huh? Excuse me?"  
  
Quistis smiled politely. "Hello. My friends and I have never been to Luca before."  
  
"Never?" said the woman. "Wow, you must live way out there."  
  
"Yes," replied Quistis. "We were wondering if there's a tourist center anywhere in the city, or a place to buy a map."  
  
The woman thought for a moment, clutching her newly bought flowers in her hands. "Yes, see that booth over there?" The woman pointed to a bright blue painted booth with a blue and white striped awning. "The man there sells maps for Luca. Since the stairs from the Highroad are right near here, it's best to have some maps ready, I suppose."  
  
"Oh, yes. Thank you very much," Quistis said.  
  
The woman smiled and nodded. "You're welcome. You and your friends enjoy your stay in Luca. Come for the big blitzball tournament, have you?"  
  
Quistis, not wanting to cause any confusing, nodded and gave a nervous smile. "Yes, we are. We've never been to one either."  
  
The woman shook her head. "Geez! You people must live out in the middle of nowhere! Well, you people enjoy the match."  
  
"We will. Thank you."  
  
Still shaking her head, the woman with the flowers walked away, heading down a long street bustling with people.  
  
Without returning to the rest of the group, Quistis walked over to the stand the woman spoke of and purchased a map using a bit of the gil they had found while fighting monsters. Quistis still didn't understand how that worked, and how monsters were able to carry gil on them, since they have no pockets. But, Spira was a different world, and it was best not to question everything. A minute later she returned to the group with the map in hand.  
  
"Now we won't have any problems," she said.  
  
Squall took the map and opened it up saying, "Smart thinking, Quistis. Now." he looked over the map. "Looks like they've got several districts and a whole section of docks."  
  
"Not to mention the blitzball stadium!" Zell said.  
  
"We'll take in local culture later, Zell," Squall said, keeping his eyes on the map. "Okay.a good place to meet would be in the center here.which is the hotel. We'll cover more ground if we split up into groups."  
  
Selphie grinned and pointed to a spot on the map. "Oooh! Oooh! Squall, Irvy and I gotta take this place!"  
  
"Huh?" Irvine said, taking his eyes off a group of women that had just passed by and turning his attention to the map. "Where?"  
  
"Merchant district!" Selphie exclaimed. "Shopping!!"  
  
Irvine groaned.  
  
"Okay, you and Irvine can look in the merchant district. Just remember to keep your eyes out for Kravis and not on sales for Sprian clothing, alright Selphie?" said Squall.  
  
Selphie nodded. "Got it!"  
  
Quistis studied the map for a moment. "Seifer and I will take the residential district."  
  
"Looking for cute apartments with a view of the ocean, eh Quisty?" Seifer joked.  
  
Quistis smiled and shook her head. "Hopeless."  
  
"We can take the restaurant district, right Squall?" asked Rinoa, first looking at the map, then surveying the surrounding area.  
  
Squall shrugged. "Sure. We still need someone to check the docks."  
  
"I'll do it," volunteered Zell. "That's near the stadium, right?"  
  
"Yes," replied Squall. "But remember what I told Selphie. Kravis first, culture later."  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
Squall took another look at the map. "That only leaves the theater district for you Dorin. Do you mind?"  
  
"No. That's all right," he replied.  
  
Squall nodded. "Okay. Everyone, try not to cause a scene or any problems. We're still very new around here. If anyone needs to buy a map, do it now before we all leave here. We'll meet back at the hotel at sundown. That okay with everyone?"  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"Right. If you see Kravis, try not to let him see you. Don't go after him without backup. Once we know he's in the city, we can regroup and apprehend him together. Also, keep your ears open for any rumors about the Sorceress. See you guys all tonight," Squall said.  
  
*****  
  
It had been a few hours, and there hadn't been a single sign of Kravis anywhere. There were a lot of people milling around the merchant district, and calls for lower prices, better bargains and 'how much is this?' rang through the area. Irvine scanned the crowd near a stand selling coats, but none of them looked like Kravis. One of them did look like the blond girl from that vision in Zanarkand, though. Her hair was a little longer, her face a little older, and her clothes different, but she still bore a striking resemblance to the girl. She seemed to be looking for someone too, her eyes scanning across the street and back to the group of people in front of the stand. Irvine thought about going over there, but what he'd say kept him back. What would he say?  
  
Hi. You don't know me, but I think I saw you once. Well, not exactly you, it might've been you, and it was transparent. Like a ghost. Y'know, in that city Zanarkand. Ever been there?  
  
Oh, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And besides that, it wasn't any of his business. Not really. Though, Irvine's curiosity was piqued, the odds of seeing someone who's ghostly vision had walked through you recently being very slim. Somehow, having all these people walk through Irvine gave him a strange sense of wanting to know why they'd been there in the first place. A strange sort of connection.  
  
But it isn't like you know her, or she knows you. Not really. And you've got a job to do, so it's better to stick to it. None of your business.  
  
"Oh! Irvy!" Selphie giggled. "This is just the cutest jacket!"  
  
Jolted out of his thoughts, Irvine turned to see Selphie trying on a long canary yellow button down coat. On the ends of the sleeves were little green flame designs. Irvine grinned. That was definitely Selphie- esque.  
  
"The merchant says it's made of chocobo feathers! Do you have any gil on you?"  
  
Irvine reached into his pockets. He fumbled around for a moment, pulling out a handful and giving it to Selphie. "There ya go, darlin. This one's on me. And now you won't have to borrow my coat for the rest of the trip."  
  
A broad grin stretched across Selphie's face, her emerald eyes shining. "Thanks, Irvy! No more cold for me! Awesome!"  
  
Selphie turned to pay the man, and Irvine turned his attention back to the crowd. The blond girl was gone. It was for the best. Just because you saw their image doesn't mean you have a right to know about them.  
  
There was still no sign of Kravis, though.  
  
".killed an entire village?"  
  
Irvine caught the end of the question as two men walked by, stopping at a nearby stand selling jars. Being careful not to be conspicuous, Irvine sidled over to the stand, picking up different jars and pretending to be interested, as he listened in on what the men were saying.  
  
"That's only what Sylver told me," the second man said. He was short and round, his head completely bald, and his dark blue eyes were small and beady. In his pudgy hands he held a red long necked jar. "He said that on that island, that one up north, this Sorceress character wiped out an entire village of people. Mind you, it really isn't that much since the island is tiny, but that's still something." He sighed. "Get rid of one evil, replace with another..."  
  
"Anyone know what she looks like?" asked the first man, a tall and gangly fellow with sallow skin. His straw blond hair fell flat and his nose was hooked. He stood next to the round man, his hands in his pockets.  
  
The round man shrugged. "I've heard some things. Sylver said she's not too tall, longish really dark brown hair. Very stern face, dark eyes.Oh, and that she wears a ton of black and red."  
  
"No fooling?"  
  
"No fooling."  
  
"Sounds a bit like Lady Lulu, doesn't it?" said the tall man.  
  
The round man frowned and placed the jar down, picking up another one and brandishing it at his friend. "Don't you disrespect Lady Lulu. I hear she's pregnant and married now to Sir Wakka. Lady Lulu is an honorable black mage. She just favors to wear black."  
  
"Okay, okay!" said the tall man, putting up his hands in defense. "I meant no disrespect. All of those people are true heroes to me, you know that. I'm just saying, maybe it's not a sorceress. Maybe that's just a name she made up. Maybe this gal's really just some whacked out black mage."  
  
"No," the round man said, turning his attention to the jar he'd been brandishing, "this lady's got magic we never saw before. She rarely needs weapons, and I heard once summoned a monster to do her bidding."  
  
"No." the tall man gasped.  
  
The round man nodded. "Yeah. I heard she can summon something without the aid of the departed Fayth. You know summoners can no longer summon, the aeons all went to the Farplane. But this gal can do it. Something nasty. Right out of thin air."  
  
The tall man shook his head, looking down at his hands that were in his pockets. "Somebody oughta do somethin about this menace. We can't have another Sin on our hands."  
  
The round man nodded. From his pocket he pulled out some gil, deciding to purchase the jar he'd threatened his friend with. He handed the gil to the merchant, and put the remaining back in his pocket. "Just like I was saying. She's evil. I hope the big groups bring this up at the rally soon. They'll know what to do about it."  
  
Having paid for the purchase, the two men began to walk away, and Irvine got the impression that was the end of what he could hear from them. From behind him, Selphie, holding her new jacket in her hands, looked at him, then down the street. She was trying to figure out what he was looking at, but not succeeding.  
  
"Whatcha lookin at, Irvy?" she asked.  
  
"Nothin, Sefie.just two guys talking about the Sorceress," he replied.  
  
Selphie gave him a serious look. "What'd they say?"  
  
Irvine tipped his hat back and whistled. "Trouble brewin."  
  
*****  
  
"Luca is beautiful, Squall," said Rinoa, staring at the clear blue- green water over one of the ledges.  
  
He nodded. "I know. Spira's a nice place. Everything's quieter."  
  
Rinoa snickered. "Sounds like something you'd say."  
  
".Whatever."  
  
"Any sign of Kravis?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. Rinoa?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You want to go into one of those restaurants, don't you?" said Squall.  
  
Rinoa gave him a mischievous smile. "You know me too well. But, I know we have a job to do, so it can wait."  
  
Squall didn't say anything for a moment. Rinoa knew he was contemplating over something, and knew better than to bother him at the moment. It was an intuition. She knew he'd tell her in a minute, when he was ready.  
  
"If we don't find Kravis or anyone else today, I'll take you to one for dinner," he said.  
  
Rinoa giggled. "Is this a stumbling attempt at intimacy?"  
  
"Yes, so don't laugh at it. Take it or leave it."  
  
Rinoa smiled. "Okay, okay. Take it."  
  
"Only if we don't find anyone today, okay?" said Squall.  
  
"Got it," she replied.  
  
The two of them walked through the streets of the restaurant district for a few minutes in silence, just listening to the din of those eating and the clinking and clanging of dishes and utensils. Even in the busy streets, Luca was bright and shining. It seemed light and happy.  
  
Squall and Rinoa passed an outdoor café, several round tables set up with people eating a late lunch or afternoon snack. Above each table was a white and blue umbrella to keep the sun out of patron's eyes. The people at the tables ate and talked, adding to the din of the district. Over all of this, Squall heard one person say:  
  
"No! Here, in town?! You've got to be kidding me!"  
  
Squall stopped, trying to not look out of place, but still wanting to hear the rest of the conversation.  
  
"Squall, wha-?" Rinoa started.  
  
He pulled her into the outdoor café's eating area and pushed her down into a chair, handing her a menu and sitting himself down. The table he wanted to hear the conversation of was in back of Rinoa. A man and a woman.  
  
"Squall, I thought you said we'd eat dinne-"  
  
He pointed to the menu and kept his eyes on the two behind Rinoa. "Rin, just order something. I need to hear what they're saying without being obvious."  
  
Without saying a word, she nodded and studied the menu, letting Squall listen to the conversation without interruption.  
  
The man sat with his back to Squall. He looked of average build, with orange hair parted in the middle. He was wearing a bright red shirt, with an intricate gold design on it. In front of him sat the woman, who looked like a guado, with long slender fingers and pointed ears. She was wearing a purple dress, with several belts tied around them, her hair coming to several points and of a dark brown color. She looked like she was eating some sort of animal.  
  
"Are you serious?" the man asked.  
  
"Of course I am, Reasu," said the woman guado. "I heard it just an hour ago."  
  
Reasu scratched his head. "Someone got into a fight with the Sorceress, Yurav? The one everyone's been talking about lately?"  
  
She nodded. "The exact one. This old woman ran into her outside the blitzball stadium and just said point blank that she was the Sorceress."  
  
"Did the woman deny it?" asked Reasu.  
  
Yurav shook her head. "No. She couldn't. It was really her. Then this old woman has the guts to just smack the Sorceress right there, in front of everyone. It was this huge scene. Everyone began to stare at the two."  
  
"Then what happened?"  
  
"I heard the Sorceress asked what the old lady's problem was, and she ranted on about how the Sorceress is evil, she knew it, and that she'd killed so many good people. Told the Sorceress she was as bad as Sin," Yurav said.  
  
Reasu seemed shocked. He paused before he asked, "Then what?"  
  
Yurav's face took on a smug expression. "The Sorceress denied being that bad, and tried to calm the old woman down. But she wouldn't have any of that. So she hit the Sorceress again, and again. Just kept smacking her. Then some others who didn't think so well of the Sorceress began to close in around her, like they were all going to get in on it too. But, then."  
  
"What?!" Reasu exclaimed in anticipation.  
  
Yurav nearly laughed before she continued. "The Sorceress got angry and did magic on the entire group. She froze them all in place and yelled at them. Then she ran off into one of the districts. So she's here in Luca, today. No one's seen her since, but you can bet your last gil she hasn't left. No, sir. She's evil to the core. You get it, right? Confronted by a justifiably angry old woman and then a riled up mob, she tries to keep her cool, but loses it and shows her true colors. If we don't watch out, she could turn out as bad as Sin."  
  
"Whoa." Reasu whispers, more in shock since hearing the end of the story. "What's she look like? Y'know.so I can keep an eye out and avoid her."  
  
"I heard she has dark brown hair, kind of long, and isn't very tall. She wears a lot of black and red, with a very hard expression. Dark eyes too. The same color as her hair. Pretty pale as well, I heard," Yurav replied.  
  
Reasu shook his head. "So much for those good stories. Right down the drain."  
  
Rinoa put down her menu and stared at Squall, whose eyes were still squinted at Reasu and Yurav. She put her hand on Squall's.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "It sounds just like her."  
  
Squall nodded. "Yeah. This is bad. We'll have to find her. Tonight, when we're all together."  
  
Rinoa's expression became worried as she stared into Squall's steel blue eyes. "Squall, I'm scared."  
  
He took his eyes off Reasu and Yurav, letting them finish their late lunch. He looked into Rinoa's dark chocolate eyes. Squall turned his hand over and squeezed Rinoa's. "I know. I am too."  
  
Hatred  
  
Nowhere in the docks. Not a single sign of Tidus or Auron and Vira had been up and down the entire circular dock area. She'd passed by Rikku once, who waved and signaled she hadn't seen anything either. The docks were huge, and several boats weren't supposed to arrive until right before lunch time. Vira had waited for these boats, from all different islands, now trying to become more part of Spira than before. She had hoped that Tidus and Auron would be on one of them, but it just didn't happen. Tidus and Auron were nowhere in the dock area. A bit discouraged, Vira headed over to the hotel for lunch. It was possible that she'd find them afterwards, wandering around the different districts, but she doubted it.  
  
Vira reminded herself that if they weren't in Luca, they'd be in Besaid by the time they returned. The thought comforted her. It hadn't been easy losing the only friends in this world she had. Sometimes it felt like a perpetual cycle of looking for something you want, and finding it, only to lose it all over again.  
  
Maybe Yuna had a point.  
  
But Vira had worse things to worry about than where Tidus and Auron were. Oh, yeah, of course, Vira had this freaky ghostly vision of her mother to worry about. That'd be a big one. Vira had spent the night in the Crusader's Lodge, plagued by the same nightmare she'd had on the boat to Besaid. Only that time, Vira saw she'd killed someone else too, probably Squall. Then she spent the next night having the same nightmare on the boat from Kilika to Luca, and that time she definitely had killed Squall, and Rinoa. Each night it was the same nightmare, except that another person she'd counted as a friend was being killed by her. Xana said that her power had a life of its own, its very own hatred and lust to bring more power to itself. Vira didn't want to believe a single word, but then Vira realized how insane the whole situation seemed. Was Xana really her ghost, or just a manifestation of the power that Vira had taken from her?  
  
The only solution that came to Vira was that she was slowly going insane, and this didn't make matters easier. There was nothing worse than someone with power off their rocker, and Vira had tried so hard not to use it a lot during her stay in Spira.  
  
All of a sudden, Vira realized she was standing in front of the hotel, wandering there on pure instinct. Or just luck. Vira never understood luck either. But, it was time for lunch, so she shoved everything to the back of her mind and headed in, looking for the café. Her problems could wait for later.  
  
"D'you think you'll ever see your friends again?" asked Rikku, her mouth stuffed with food.  
  
Vira looked up from her plate, looking distracted. "Huh? Oh.I don't know. Maybe."  
  
"You gotta miss em, though, right?" said Rikku, swallowing. "I know I'd feel bad if I lost everyone I knew and ended up in some strange world."  
  
Yuna gave her a reprimanding look. "Rikku."  
  
Rikku's cheeks turned red and her eyes darted down to her plate. "Sorry. Just saying. Maybe we could help find Vira a way home."  
  
"That's possible." said Yuna.  
  
Vira shrugged. "That's okay. I'm used to being here now. I'm sure everyone thinks I'm dead back home, and it might be better if it was kept that way."  
  
"Why?" asked Rikku.  
  
"You know how there are people here who don't like me and think that I'm evil?" said Vira. "Well, back where I come from, most people are deathly afraid of sorceresses. The only one people didn't fear outright was my friend Rinoa. There's too much history of them going insane and trying to kill a ton of people, that everyone prejudges and fears sorceresses. And since my magic comes from a very unreliable source, I think I'd end up in more trouble there than here."  
  
"Whoa." Rikku murmured. "That's not fair! You're not nutso!"  
  
Vira frowned slightly. "Doesn't quite matter to them. The last three wars back home were fought because of a sorceress. And the last one was particularly nasty, since the sorceress in it was the very first one with the most power. People fear those with power, regardless of how they use it."  
  
"That's very true," said Yuna. "But, I'm sure there's a part of you that would like to see your friends again. Especially that one man."  
  
"Dorin," Vira finished. "Sure, there's probably a part of me that wishes they'd waltz up to me right now and welcome me back and all that sappy, sentimental stuff. But, I try to live in the real world where that kinda stuff just doesn't happen. I'd like it, but it's just a pipe dream, y'know? I'll never stop missing them, in one way or another, but you gotta move on at some point."  
  
Yuna nodded, her face a bit somber. "Yes. I tried to do that. It's very hard, though, when you lose someone that you had only a short time to be with. It's amazing, y'know? That someone who just falls into your life, and is there for only a little while, has this tremendous impact on your world, and how you feel."  
  
"Yeah," Vira said quietly.  
  
"We all missed Tidus and Auron a lot," said Rikku. "It's been hard to get along without them. You go on a journey with someone and you become this group. All for one and one for all. You work together, eat together, fight together, and there's this bond there that nothing can break. Except when they leave you."  
  
"Fight beside someone and there will always be a shared experience no one will be able to touch," Vira said.  
  
Rikku nodded. "And Tidus never gave up. He'd always try to think of ways to keep Yunie from dying. He'd say, 'Let's put our heads together and think!' and I'd tap my head and concentrate and think and think. I'd never come up with anything. But, he did. That was what was so great about him. He was preprogrammed with what to think about Yevon or the Al Bhed. He just did what he thought was best for everyone."  
  
Vira chuckled. "He still seems a bit like a jock to me."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"If he wasn't talking about the journey he took with you guys, he'd be talking about blitzball," Vira replied.  
  
Yuna took a sip of her drink and nodded. "Yes, Tidus was a great blitzball player. He kept telling me about how he was the star of the Zanarkand Abes, and how he'd love to take me to his stadium and we could all watch the game. It was a great dream."  
  
"We'll find them soon," said Vira quickly. "Don't worry, Yuna. It's not a dream. I'm here, I've been with them. They're alive.or alive as they can be. I was never clear on that."  
  
Yuna let out a soft laugh. "I'm sure you're right. We'll search the districts after lunch and then return here for dinner. Do you have any particular preference of which district to search?"  
  
"Ooh, ooh!" Rikku pumped her hand in the air. "I wanna check out the merchant district. They have a new blitzball store there, and Tidus might've gone there to check out the stuff." She paused for a moment. "And there's that great weapons store! Auron always had those biiiiig-" Rikku held her arms out wide to illustrate. "-swords that he used!"  
  
Yuna laughed and smiled. "Sounds fine. Maybe I'll check out the restaurant district.Tidus did always seem hungry, and Sir Auron was fond of whatever that liquor it was that he kept in his jug."  
  
"Tasted like motor oil." muttered Vira.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Nothing," Vira said. "I'll check out the theater and residential districts."  
  
"Can you cover that much ground in time?" asked Yuna.  
  
"Sure. Not a problem. I'll meet you guys in the lobby at dinnertime," she replied, getting up.  
  
Yuna and Rikku followed suit, Yuna leaving the gil they owed for the lunch and following Vira to the entrance of the hotel. The three girls waved to each other and separated, heading towards a different district. Vira walked a few paces, ending up in front of the blitzball stadium.  
  
Huge. That's the only word that can describe this thing.freakin huge.  
  
Above her was a holographic television display, with two men in suits talking to the screen.  
  
"That's right, Babbo, we're gearing up for the match tonight, one of the first night matches in years. Tonight we'll be showing the game between our own Luca Goers, and the Kilika Beasts. This will be a popular event tonight! The stadium has reported full attendance, and everyone who has a set will be tuning in to watch! Now, the Beasts are actually the favorite in this match tonight, after a lackluster beginning of the season for the Goers."  
  
"Monster!" an old voice croaked, drawing Vira's attention away from the screen.  
  
An old woman stood in front of her, hunched over, many wrinkles in her skin from what looked like a hard life. Her silvery hair was tied back into a tight bun, and it looked as if not a single strand of hair was out of place. Her long dress was a light brown, and the cardigan she wore over it was a bit darker. She looked directly at Vira, an expression of pure hatred on her face.  
  
Now what the hell was this old woman's problem? Vira had just been standing there, listening to the pre-game show. Maybe she'd been standing in the way, but that certainly didn't make her a monster. Vira gave the old woman a dubious look and said, "Excuse me?"  
  
"It's you, isn't it?" the old woman said, point an accusatory finger at Vira. "You're the Sorceress."  
  
Uh oh, someone's not a fan, Vira thought. "Uhm.what?"  
  
The old woman shook her head. "Don't play stupid with me! I know it's you! I've heard stories. You look like you don't belong here! You are the Sorceress!" Without saying another word, the old woman brought her hand up and smacked Vira across the face.  
  
The sound was louder than it should have been, drawing the attention of some of the passers by. Some stopped and watched to see what was going on, and Vira felt more eyes on her as put a hand up to her face.  
  
"Look, lady, I don't know what you're problem is, but I'm not some sorta monster." Vira started.  
  
"Don't give me that! I've heard about all the people you've slaughtered mercilessly, and all the power you have! It's disgusting that they let a creature like you just walk around as if you're just like everyone else! You aren't! You're a murderer!"  
  
SMACK!  
  
Vira fell back a few steps, feeling the stinging pain from the old woman hitting her again. This was getting out of hand. More people had stopped to watch, and any moment now everyone would catch on to what the old woman was so upset about. For a frail looking old woman, she was incredibly fast, and strong. Vira rubbed her other cheek, now feeling a rush of hurt and anger come over her. But, if she lost her temper, that would only make matters worse. Best to stay calm, then everyone will go away.  
  
"I am not a murderer. I don't know who you think I killed, but I didn't. They're just rumors-"  
  
"So you admit you're the Sorceress!" the old woman announced.  
  
Vira nearly groaned. "Yes, fine, I am. But I'm not this monstrous murderer you make me out to be. So calm down, stop hitting me, and try to listen to the whole story, not just some rumors you hear from a neighbor."  
  
"No! I've heard it from everyone! You're as bad as Sin!"  
  
The crowd murmured. Vira was beginning to feel nervous. She had been trying all day to not attract attention to herself, and it had worked until now.  
  
"We just traded one evil for another! You are our punishment for demolishing Yevon!" the old woman yelled.  
  
From the crowd there were some more murmurs and a few sounds of agreement. More people were stopping to watch by the moment.  
  
"Hmm.as bad as Sin, hmm? Why don't you give them something to fear?"  
  
Vira scowled. Of all the times to go insane.  
  
Xana's face appeared behind the old woman, and she glided effortlessly over to Vira. She waved a hand at the old woman.  
  
"Look at them. They're all ignorance morons. They'll hate you no matter what you do. Why not just live up to it?"  
  
"Shut up," Vira whispered.  
  
The old woman's face lit up in shock. "Did you hear that?! She told me to shut up!"  
  
Vira smacked herself in the forehead, getting frustrated. "No, not you."  
  
"Then who? You aren't talking to anyone else!" The old woman paused. Her eyes widened. "Oh my.you're talking to invisible people, aren't you?! You're insane!"  
  
Vira frowned. "No, you're insane. Drink less caffeine, okay?"  
  
The woman scowled and attempted to hit Vira again, but Vira was ready finally and stepped out of the woman's way. The crowd behind them booed. People started to yell and say things like, 'You gonna pick on an old woman?!"  
  
"See?" said Xana, grinning smugly. "They'll hate you no matter what. So why not just let it go already? No one's going to buy this good act. And." Xana's voice faded and changed into a crisp, accented man's voice and at that moment, Vira was positive that the old woman was at least right about her losing her mind. "Let's face it, you were never that popular to begin with. Even back in Draconia. Being the daughter of someone who destroyed their villages doesn't bode well for you, does it?"  
  
Vira took a chance to throw a glance behind her, where the vision of Xana had transformed herself into looking like Dorin. She looked away, it was too much to look at. A mixture of fury, confusion and pain was overtaking her.  
  
"How are you able to do that?" she asked.  
  
"What?!" snapped the old woman.  
  
Dorin's face smiled and he glided over closer to the old woman. "Just the trick of the trade. Become dead and you learn to pick up a few things you weren't able to before."  
  
"Oh God."  
  
"I'm sure every god, including Hyne, as forsaken you. As they did I," he said.  
  
The old woman was gaining popularity. As she continued to try to hit Vira, the crowd around them closed in, throwing accusations or trying to get a better look. Vira felt trapped between her own insanity and a mob ready to try to tear her apart.  
  
She backed away from the group and the old woman and the transparent figure that looked like Dorin glided beside her.  
  
"We'll stop you before you cause harm to anyone else on Spira!" the old woman shouted.  
  
Vira held her hand up, palm facing out to the old woman and the crowd. There wasn't any reasoning with this crazy woman, or the mob of people that were getting angrier by the second. Vira reached the end of her rope.  
  
"Everyone just.back off.everyone.STOP!" she yelled.  
  
There was silence from the mob, even the old woman fell quiet. A gray light shot up from the ground at the feet of everyone advancing at Vira and passed through their bodies. The light faded, and everyone stopped moving, and talking. Vira hadn't wanted to do it, and still wasn't quite sure what the spell was. It wasn't a standard stop spell, and it wasn't petrify but it kept people still and quiet. Over the time she'd been traveling, Vira had learned that just thinking something and saying one word could cause a spell she never knew to be cast. It wouldn't hurt them. That much she knew. It would wear off in a while, and by then she'd be somewhere else. Maybe she'd spend some of the gil she'd been keeping and buy a new outfit, hide in the crowds, and make sure no one noticed her for the rest of the night.  
  
But first, she was going to address this crowd of ignorant morons. Vira looked around for a moment beforehand, almost sure that whatever it was that looked like Dorin would still be there and ready to mock her, but it-she, he-whatever, was gone; disappeared as if it'd never been there. Vira turned back to the crowd, looking particularly at the old woman.  
  
"Now, see here, you ignorant old woman," Vira looked up, "all of you. I am not a menace, monster, or as bad as Sin. Out of all these rumors, have you ever placed a name to the villages I've so called destroyed? The lives I've taken, do these people have names? Grieving families? Eye witness accounts of me killing someone they knew? No? Then how the hell can you prove it and automatically judge me? You can't. But, you'll believe it because Spira has problems, and there always has to be someone to take the fall. It can never be your fault, so it'll be mine. Be ignorant and I'm your scapegoat."  
  
Vira paused and stared at the crowd. She thought she heard someone groan.  
  
"It's just a spell that freezes you in place. It'll wear off soon and there are no adverse side effects. I'm going to leave now, and I don't want any trouble, or anyone to follow me. And I'm gonna leave you with this thought so that maybe some of you will wake up and stop being so goddam ignorant: if I'm so damn powerful and so evil, why aren't you dead right now? Why am I sparing your lives? As a matter of fact, why haven't I laid waste to this entire planet yet and why don't all of you answer to me? I have the power, so why is everything still relatively peaceful? I've had the time to do it. Why isn't Spira in my fingertips? You're still alive. And there are no names to the people I supposedly killed. Think about it."  
  
For a moment, Vira waited, staring into the crowd of people, her eyes gazing to the old woman and then back to the masses. They wouldn't respond, and by the time they could, Vira didn't want to be there. She turned and ran off, heading to the merchant district. No one stopped her, and she was soon lost in the sea of people. No one was able to distinguish her in the large crowd, now everyone looking more at the frozen group than her. Vira ran and hid her face from everyone around her. She wouldn't go to dinner. Let Rikku and Yuna worry. She'd see them later that night. Vira needed time alone, and a feeling to just disappear into the multitude.  
  
Author's notes: Weeeeeell, I know it took me quite a while to get this one out, but look at the length and you'll understand. Plus, I wanted to wait until I got at least one review for the chapter before writing the next. It gives me perspective. That, and other things got in the way, of course. My writing style has changed a bit in this chapter, but I think it's clear enough still. This chapter would've been even ungodly longer if I had decided to put the last part in, but as it is, I'll leave it for the next chapter. These are too long as it is. This is probably the equivalent to three Iron Will chapters back in the day. Wow. I'm too prolific for my own good these days. Anyway, as you can see, in the next chapter, we'll be heading into a massive mistake, with Squall and the others believing Xana is the Sorceress, and knowledge that she's in Luca. Vira will try to make herself disappear for a little while to sort out whether she's really insane or just a bit stressed out. Bad stuff'll go down, trust me. So stay tuned for that. Oh, and although it's late notice, Vira appeared in my webcomic's holiday special. Check out http://unusualheroes.keenspace.com to see it (it's the previous comic to the one that's up now, so just hit 'previous comic') and while you're there, you might wanna check out the rest of it. That's up to you. As always, please R&R to let me know what you thought of this chapter. Until next time! 


	4. Demons

Disclaimer: All characters and situations from the games FFVIII and FFX are property of Squaresoft. I do not claim ownership of any of them. However, I do own any characters that I created myself or my co-author, ie. Vira Eronwil, Dorin Vachon, Kravis, ect. That's about it. You know the drill. We do this for fun and no profit.

Chapter 4  
Demons 

_"How can I feel abandoned even when the world surrounds me?  
How can I bite the hand that feeds the strangers all around me?  
How can I know so many, never really knowing anyone?  
If I seem superhuman I have been misunderstood" - Misunderstood, Dream Theater_

  
1. Identity of the Sorceress

The garish lights and decor of the theater overwhelmed Dorin as he stepped inside. He sighed, mentally wishing that the Spirans weren't fond of such flashy colors. It was late afternoon, and Dorin hadn't seen any sign of Kravis anywhere. He'd also kept his eye out for anything about this Sorceress person, but so far hadn't heard anything. After a few hours of looking, Dorin decided to stop in the Sphere Theater, the largest and oldest one in Luca's theater district. 

In one corner, a band was playing happy and cheerful music. Dorin did a double take when he noticed the band members weren't human, in fact, one of them even looked like a bird. Above them were large screens, showing different events. Someone behind Dorin tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around to see who it was. 

"Excuse me, sir," a man with a little square cap and a large pack said. "Would like to buy something?" The man tapped his chest, puffing it out proudly. "O'aka the twenty-third is my name, and I've sold products all over Spira! Even sold products to Lady Yuna's pilgrimage while they were journeying. I have great discounted prices. You won't find any better in Spira," he said.

Dorin raised an eyebrow. "No thank you, I'm not interested."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked O'aka. "I've got a lovely set of armor you might like..." O'aka took his pack off his back and started rummaging through it.

"No, I'm pretty sure..." Dorin trailed off as O'aka began to search through his wares. Sighing, Dorin looked around at the various screens, now showing various blitzball matches.

On one screen was a woman in a light brown suit, holding a microphone. Her hair was the same color as her suit, and pulled back into a low ponytail. Her expression was serious as she stared into the screen. She was standing outside of the blitzball stadium. "Right where I'm standing is the very spot where just recently an incident occurred where the fabled Sorceress was proven to actually exist, and could be a potential threat..." The reporter trailed off and put one hand to her ear for a brief second. "Oh, I've just heard that we have footage of the incident as a crew was taping reactions for the upcoming game tonight. We now bring you the scene earlier today where the Sorceress was revealed to be an actual person."

The screen cut to a scene with a woman in all black, backing away from a crowd. A woman with brown hair with blond streaks...and a scar....

"Dear God..." Dorin breathed. The world seemed to stop around him, all sound dimmed as he focused on the woman.

An old woman was in front of the woman in black, trying to hit her as the crowd around them became more riled up. The old woman was yelling that the Sorceress was worse than Sin. The woman in black backed up, first looking afraid and then angry. She yelled, "Everyone just...back off...everyone...STOP!"

At that moment, everyone around them stopped, including the cameraman, the  
camera was held firmly in one spot, no longer shaking and moving.

"Stop spell," Dorin murmured.

O'aka looked up from his backpack. "What?"

The woman on the screen spoke to the old woman and everyone else, although a great deal of her speech was being drowned out. All that could be heard was "scapegoat" "be ignorant" and "why isn't Spira in my fingertips?" The woman ran off, past the camera and off screen. The tape ended and brought back the reporter.

"That was the scene as the Sorceress used a spell affecting an entire group of people. According to some eye witnesses, she made a claim that she was going to take over Spira with her power. We'll take you now to some of those interviews."

"Bullshit," spat Dorin. He'd seen enough. He turned and walked out of the theater, struggling to maintain a hold on his anger.

"Wait!" O'aka yelled. "I found the armor! You'd really like it!" He held it up in the  
air, waving it. After a moment he sighed and put it back in his bag. "Ah well, can't get em all..."

  
2. Disguise and Memories 

Afternoon, brilliant with gold and amber hues, gave way to the time of twilight in Luca. The golden sun that had been so bright during the day, sank beyond the horizon, its brilliance fading and dying into the blue ashes of nighttime. Golden, amber and crimson melted into purple and blue, until the black night dotted with diamond stars stretched across the sky, covering everything in warm darkness; the pearl moon the only true light left in the firmament. Just as the afternoon had turned into twilight, and then into night, the public's interested in the Sorceress faded into the excitement of the night blitzball game. Soon everyone forgot about the incident in front of the stadium and focused their attention on who would beat who, and what new move might be introduced that night. Suddenly the streets were quiet, cheers rising only from the stadium. What was only a few short hours ago, streets teeming with people were now almost like a ghost town. Only sounds from the stadium were heard, and the rustling of the wind as a gentle sea breeze flowed by.

Vira pulled the hood down from her coat and took a look around. After the incident, she'd run into the merchant district and immediately purchased a new outfit and a bag to hold her old one in. The only piece of clothing she'd kept were her boots, the same ones she'd had the day Xana had died. They were the only shoes she had. Whether it was just laziness or some morbid attachment to them, Vira had never replaced them. She argued that they'd be too heavy to carry in her bag; the coat she had been wearing before was heavy enough. And luckily enough, she hadn't needed to purchase a new shirt, it being hidden from sight in the first place.

She still favored the same colors she always had: red and black. From a merchant who asked no questions, Vira had purchased a light black coat, long, a bit past her knees, with a hood to hide her face from the crowd. Underneath she was her red sleeveless shirt, though when the coat was buttoned up, no one would notice. She had to get rid of the purple pants she had been wearing, replacing them with plain black ones. It was almost sad to do so, remembering the time when she'd bought the new pants.

"Do you always wear that?" Tidus asked.

"Huh?" mumbled Vira.

He pointed at her outfit. "Your clothes. They're all black. Do you want to depress people?"

Vira snorted. "I never cared what other people thought. Black is a nice color."

"Yeah, maybe if you're living in Morbidville. But you're in Spira, so live a little," said Tidus.

"This coming from a boy who dresses like a chocobo with overalls?" Vira replied, smirking.

Tidus rolled his eyes. "Hardy har har. Veeeeery funny. Look, you don't wanna be out of place, right?"

"Right"

"Then that means you gotta add some color to your wardrobe! Seriously, do you want to wear the same thing you killed your mother in?" asked Tidus.

Vira frowned and shook her head. "Of course not. I just left the rest of my 'wardrobe' back home."

"And that is why I'm gonna help you out here!" Tidus exclaimed. He walked over to a rack filled with different color pants and pulled out a deep royal purple pair. "How about these?"

"You've got to be kidding. And I'm not taking fashion tips from you," said Vira.

Tidus grinned stupidly and shook the pair of pants in front of her. "Aw, c'moooon! You'll like them! You can't just be wearing red and black. Yeah, red's a color, but you need more! It's less offensive than pink, right?"

Vira sighed exasperatedly. "Yes."

He handed her the pair of pants, his grin turning triumphant. "Then that's all there is to it! Then you get yourself a new coat, and a new shirt, and you're all set!"

"Haven't you people ever heard of washing machines or backpacks?"

Tidus gave her a strange look. "What?"

Vira sighed again. "Never mind"

She and Tidus had always argued about different things. About the differences between their worlds, about Vira's pessimistic/defeatist attitude about nearly everything, Tidus's overzealous nature with blitzball, and even their clothes. But, they'd rubbed off on each other. Tidus's enthusiasm was infectious, and his happiness as well. She, he and Auron had all seemed like three different variations on the same theme. Auron was the stoic one. The veteran and the most knowledgeable of the three. He rarely did joke, and was never grinning or full of excitement. He would joke, but his sense of humor was dry and sarcastic. Vira was inbetween, given to pessimism, and all of her humor was sarcastic and full of biting wit. She was a bit stoic, only talking about her past when she had to, but then at times could lighten up and even border on friendly. That was Tidus's doing. Being around him long enough made Vira loosen up, even if just a little. Then Tidus was at the opposite end; happy, excited, enthusiastic. All three wanted to help people on their way back to the main lands, but all three were different variations of it. And as much as Tidus and Vira would argue, they had a lot in common as well. Their core beliefs in right and wrong were what made them friends. Vira remembered nearly every conversation the three of them had over ethics, and the like. There had never been arguments about that. All three had a distinct knowledge of what they believed to be right, and it all was quite similar. 

Vira missed those times, almost aimlessly wandering across the tiny islands, sometimes never finding a single person. It had been amazing they ever made it to the others, Tidus complaining the first time they had built a raft to sail to the next island, and using it until they had found a town that sold them a boat. Vira would've used that boat to get to Besaid, but she could never find it. Or any familiar land. Or Tidus and Auron. She felt so close now. They had to be in Besaid by now. She only wished they were with her now. 

Yellow light filtered down on Vira as she sat on a bench just on the outskirts of the restaurant district. She wondered that if Tidus and Auron had been with her that afternoon, would she be hiding right now? Vira had never run like a scared animal before, never had to. Her running away was different. Oh, yeah, she'd never had to run from a mob that had intentions of hurting her, though Vira wasn't sure how far they had wanted to go. Vira always ran in different ways. Ways that didn't take you anywhere.

_You ran away from people when you were a kid. They hated you because you were different and you ran away. Ran into your head where it was safe, just by yourself and no one there to tell you that you sucked, or were stupid, or weird. You ran away from Xana at first, too. Tried to kill yourself to get away from her. That's a running of a different color, isn't it? Maybe it was all her doingheard her voice in herein my head. Was it? Or was it because of how much you hated what was happening to you? Your life? Or your lack of it? And now you've completed your freakin circle, I hope you're very happy, ma'am. You've not only run from friends, from your problems, from your twisted family, but you've also run from a mob of people who hated you based on unreliable rumors. And now what? What'll you run from next? Whatever it is that looks like Xanalooks like Dorinand no one else can see? The insanity? Will I run from that too? And my nightmare? Is it possible to keep running? When can I stop?_

Vira looked down at her hands, palms faced up to her. The scar on her left hand was still there, stretched across like a bad memory. She remembered the first week she spent in prison, cold, and sick-she was always sick in the prison, even as she escaped-and going through everything that had happened. Dorin's death and resurrection was still fresh in her mind, her mother's death even fresher. And in her fevered and sickened state, Vira would fall into a restless sleep where she dreamt of Dorin's Dragon Rage over and over, and that each time, she never woke up. She would die, and stay that way, all that was left in her nightmare being his animalistic roar and darkness, until Tidus would shake her awake.

"Hey! Snap out of it! What's wrong with you?!" he yelled.

Vira's eyes jolted open, and she coughed into her chest, feeling a rush of heat to her face. Tidus took his arms from her and sat back against the wall, eyeing her cautiously.

"I'm finesorry if I woke you," she coughed.

Tidus shook his head. "You ain't fine. I heard you scream. I know you're sick and all, but this has happened to you for the past few nights." He paused. "Who's Dorin?"

Vira frowned. "None of your business."

"Well, you scream at him to stop every night, and it's genuinely disturbing, so I'd say it's my business now. C'mon, it's okay to talk about it," Tidus said. He looked concerned. Vira could tell he wasn't a bad guy.

For a moment, she didn't reply. Tired being partly the reason, and the other being she wasn't exactly sure how to explain it. So far she'd told Tidus she came from another world, which he believed without too much trouble, and that she had fought this powerful sorceress and the portal deal with Kravis. She'd said a bit about Xana, and a bit about Squall and how she'd worked for SeeD and Garden, and about Draconia. She hadn't mentioned Dorin. It was a sticky subject. The pain was still at the surface, the wound still wide open. But she knew Tidus wouldn't back down. He'd only ask her again the next night. He'd understand, perhaps. Vira took in a breath and let it out slowly. She spent the next several minutes recounting meeting Dorin, having to show him around Garden with Squall, leaving for Draconia with him and Squall, how he had shunned her for a while, telling her she was no better than a hired droid. Then his attitude had changed and he told her that she was an honorable person, they all were. Vira told Tidus that when she found out that Xana was her mother, Dorin ended up being one of the first people who knew, and she could never get rid of him after that. He followed her around, always trying to get through to her, get some sort of reaction, and engage in some sort of conversation. With great shame, Vira told Tidus about the problem she had in Esthar, when she had nearly killed herself in an attempt to be rid of Xana's voice in her head and her own problems, but that Dorin had stopped her. He had stopped her again when she then tried to leave to take on Xana by herself. That wherever Vira went, Dorin tried to follow, and that his official excuse had been that his country owed her. Vira told Tidus how it frustrated and confused her. She didn't understand his motives, what he wanted, and why he didn't just walk away like everyone else did. Eventually, she spoke of the incident in the Silver Siren, when Dorin succumbed to the Dragon Rage. As Vira recalled the only time in battle she ever died, Tidus stared at her with wide shocked eyes. His expression turned to sympathetic when she told him about Dorin's death afterwards. She wrapped it up quickly by telling him that Dorin had been lucky and was resurrected. He had gotten a happy ending and was okay. Tidus looked relieved at that, but still confused. It was funny, after telling the whole story, it confused Vira too.

"Then why do you keep screaming in your dreams?" Tidus asked.

Vira coughed. "Becausethere was nothing worse than to see him succumb to the Dragon Rage. It may have ended all right for him, but that doesn't take away all the pain I suffered because of it. I died because of it. I guess it scares me still. I should be fine soon"

Vira turned her hands over again, just staring at them in the lamplight. A slight breeze ruffled her hair. A loud cheer rose from the stadium. Vira looked at her left palm again, tracing the scar over with her fingers. She looked at her stomach, and traced the scar that was still there, over her coat. She didn't need to feel it, she knew exactly where it was. That scar was the worst, and the part that she hadn't told Tidus until he asked her, months later as she, him and Auron were trying to go to sleep at their campsite, staring up at the stars. Vira had let Tidus in on most of what she had gone through before, but there were always bits and pieces she left out, details she never gave him. Those came over time. Tidus had been up front and out with everything that had happened to him, even the tiniest detail, from the very beginning. Sometimes there was a small twinge of guilt in Vira that she left the small details out. Because, it was usually the small details that were most important.

"Where's that scar come from?" he asked her.

Vira took her eyes off the expansive, twinkling heavens and stared at Tidus. "What the hell are you talkin about, blondie?"

Tidus pointed to the scar across her stomach, ugly and blaringly noticeable. Vira had forgotten she was wearing a shirt where you could see it. "That scar," he said, pointing to it. "Where'd you get it? From your last fight with your mother?"

She shook her head. "Nah."

"But you were bleeding there when I met you," Tidus said.

"It was reopened in the fight with my mother. That's why it was still bleeding. She'd wanted me to die bleeding, but I'd been able to stop it. Well, enough that it wouldn't kill me, I guess," said Vira. She turned her gaze back up to the stars.

Tidus looked up too, but didn't give up the subject. "So where did you get it?"

"Dorin."

"That guy who liked you? The one with the Dragon Rage that killed you?"

"Mmm hmm."

"During that time?"

Vira sighed. "Why's it so damn important for you to know?"

Tidus shrugged, acting like it was no big deal. "I dunnojust curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, y'know," Vira replied.

"Huh?"

"Never mind." Vira stayed silent for another moment. As always, Auron stayed silent, listening to their conversation, but only adding something if he felt like it. "Dorin did it."

"Yeah, you said that already," Tidus said.

"It's what killed me," Vira said, making sure to stare really hard at this one star that was twinkling brighter than all the others. It made talking about it a little easier. "When Dorin succumbed to the Dragon Rage and came after me, and my Stop spell missed, he sliced me across the stomach. I bled to death."

Tidus looked at Vira out of the corner of his eye. "I thought you got that scar on your hand from him. I always just thought heran you through or something. Not tried to gut you like a fish."

"Lovely analogy," she replied, sarcastic. "No, he sliced me and then he tried again when I was pleading with him to stop. That's how I got both scars."

"How many do you have?"

"Four in total."

Tidus whistled. "That's way too many if you ask me."

"Four too many," said Vira. "I hate every single one of them."

Tidus chuckled. Vira turned and stared at him, wondering what the hell was so funny. "You and Auron should start a scar club. He's got a great one across his eye."

From behind them Auron grunted. "Funny."

"Yeah, I'm a regular laugh riot," said Tidus. "I betcha I could even get Auron to laugh someday"

Vira stood up, shoving her hands in her pockets. There was another rowdy cheer from the stadium. It sounded like someone had scored. Vira didn't really care. She'd spent the last several hours hiding from people, and now they had all forgotten their scapegoat to watch a game of blitzball. As much as she missed Auron and Tidus, and their unique perspectives, Vira wanted to be alone still. And she wanted to stop thinking. She'd been sitting on the bench since the game started and the streets had gotten quiet, and had spent the whole time thinking. Mostly about the past, and then about her own sanity. Enough was damn enough. Too much thinking makes your head hurt. What could she do to stop thinking? To keep the demons away? To keep whatever it was that looked like Xana and Dorin away?

_"I wouldn't drink too much of that. After a while it takes affect and you begin to stop thinking. It isn't good for someone who needs to be alert and ready to fight all the time"_

Auron's voice echoed in Vira's mind. She knew where to go now. Lucky her, the restaurant district was right in front of her. Vira turned away from the cheers of the ignorant in the stadium and headed into the district, the goal of finding an open bar the only pressing matter on her mind.

  
3. Reaching Besaid

  
During the day, the sea always looked a bright greenish blue, but at night, it looked so black that if you dived in, you could never find your way back to the surface. But, there was still an undeniable sense of calm and peace when the gentle waves lapped against the side of a ship at night and a ship would rock back and forth, just like a cradle.

Tidus walked down the wooden plank onto Besaid's docks, stretching his arms above his head. Behind him came Auron, who turned to tie the boat to the dock. He looked towards the beach and then at Tidus, who looked like he was about to explode with excitement.

"You're ready to see Yuna again," Auron stated.

Tidus grinned. "You damn right I'm ready to see her again! I've missed her a ton and now I'm so close to seeing her again I can feel it!"

Auron snorted, finishing the knot on the rope and starting down the docks towards the beach. "She might not be here."

"Where else would she be? This is her home, man! Don't be such a downer, Auron," said Tidus.

"You always said that to Vira," Auron replied.

The two of them reached the beach. Tidus kicked at some of the sand and sighed. "Yeah, well, she is a downer too, sometimes. Think she's okay?"

"In a manner of speaking," said Auron. "She's either here or Luca and on her way here. She knew you wanted to come here first to see Yuna. She can take care of herself."

Tidus nodded, looking to the pathway to Besaid village. "Yeah, so we're bound to see her soon. Right now, I wanna see Yuna! C'mon, let's hurry up!"

Without another word, Tidus took off up the pathway, running out of sight. Auron sighed and followed.

*****

"That was a great dinner, Lu. It took me a long time to figure out that you actually did cook," Wakka said, patting his pudgy stomach.

Lulu smirked. "Did you think I just made food magically appear on my plate?"

Wakka shrugged. "I actually never thought about it."

"Your mind was almost always on blitzball," Lulu said.

Wakka laughed, grinning sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess it was"

Lulu smiled, shaking her head. She stood up, pushing her chair back and picked up her plate. She took it over to the sink, placing it carefully inside and turning back to Wakka. Their house was small, but sufficient for them. Lulu suspected that they would need a bigger one once the baby came, but that was still a little ways off. It would be fine for the time being. Although most of Spira had seriously upgraded their towns since the beginning of the Eternal Calm, Besaid had remained basically the same. The only differences were that the huts were larger, and housed more people. Now they had a few different rooms, more like the Crusader's Lodge, and some of the more built up ones had windows. But they still were huts, with doors that were just pieces of cloth draped over the opening.

Wakka and Lulu's hut was cozy, and brightly colored. A red and orange throw rug was on the floor in the kitchen area, and a plain red one was in the bedroom. They had a nice fireplace in the living area, and a few comfortable cushioned light brown chairs to sit on. Their various knick-knacks lined the walls. Wakka's blitzball equipment, Lulu's different dolls, including her onion knight, and even some souvenirs they picked up on their journeys to all the different lands in Spira.

Lulu sat down in one of their chairs near the fire, picking up her old mog doll. "Don't forget to put your dish in the sink. I'll wash them later tonight."

"What do I look like, a forgetful goof?" asked Wakka, picking up his plate.

Lulu chuckled. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

Wakka smacked himself in the forehead as he walked over to the sink. "Aw, man, Lu, you always get the best of me"

Lulu looked up from her mog doll and smiled at him. "That's not such a bad thing."

Wakka dropped his plate into the sink as his cheeks turned a shade of pink. He scratched the back of his neck. "Heheh, geez"

From outside, two familiar voices drifted into their house. "So, where d'you think they are?"

"At home. Which one, I don't know."

Wakka stared that the piece of cloth that stood for their door. After a second, he shot a quick look at Lulu, who nodded at him. The two of them rushed over to the cloth door and threw it back. 

It was true. The sphere didn't lie. Vira didn't lie. It was one of the most amazing things Wakka and Lulu had ever seen. In the middle of the village stood Tidus and Auron, looking around at all the different huts. Two years hadn't changed them. Tidus still looked as excited as ever, and Auron stilllike Auron. Wakka and Lulu stood in their hut's doorway with bated breath as they stared at Tidus and Auron. It was a miracle. A bonafide miracle.

Wakka rushed up to Tidus from behind, getting him in a headlock and giving him a good round of noogies. "Geez, little brudda, I didn't think it was true, but here you are again! Thankwell, y'know! It's great! And Sir Auron!" Wakka let go of Tidus, who yelled out "Hey, leggo!" as soon as Wakka had grabbed him. "It's great to see you again too! It's a miracle, man! No doubt about it!"

"It's wonderful to see you two again," Lulu said from the doorway, smiling. "But we didn't really expect you for another day or two."

Tidus rubbed his head where Wakka had given him a blast of noogies. "Huh? You were expecting us?"

"Vira," Auron stated.

Lulu nodded, walking to join them. Tidus's eyes grew wide when he noticed how pregnant she looked. "Yes. She came here around two days ago, right after Rikku dropped by with a strange sphere. It had you and her on it Tidus."

"Me?" he thought for a moment. "Oh yeah! That sphere. Weird. I never thought I'd see that one again"

"Vira was able to show us another scene with her in it to prove that she was telling the truth. Yuna had been about ready to leave to go look for you," Lulu continued.

Wakka grumbled. "I was tryin to talk her outta it. She didn't have time to go lookin all over the world for ya. No offense meant, brudda, but she's real busy."

Tidus nodded. "I understand. Yuna must have a lot do to these days. Where is she?"

"She, Rikku and Vira left for Luca a while ago. They should be back in a day or two. When Vira realized you two weren't here, she said that you might've ended up in Luca instead. They went to search for you there. We stayed in case you came here," said Lulu.

"Come into the house, guys. We just finished dinner and we have plenty left in case you're hungry," suggested Wakka, his hand waving towards their house.

Auron nodded. "Sounds good."

The four of them moved into Wakka and Lulu's hut, Tidus eyeing Lulu's pregnant state the whole time. As they walked through, Lulu looked at Tidus. 

"Lulu, looks like you're expecting!" he exclaimed.

Lulu laughed. "Yes. Very soon."

"You and Wakka?" Tidus started, the beginnings of a grin crossing his face.

"Married. Not too long ago," Lulu finished.

Tidus laughed and pointed at her. "Ha!" he exclaimed in triumph. "You told me I didn't know anything about women! And now you and Wakka are married and you're about to have a baby!"

Lulu sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's great to have you back. Now shut up, Tidus, and have something to eat."

  
4. Vira Has a Drink

  
It wasn't Luca's most popular café but it was a nice clean place, out of the way, and just right for Vira. She stepped inside, taking a look around the circular room. In the middle was the bar, a donut with liquor in the middle and chairs on the outside. There was no one in the bar at the moment, though a few large screens hung from the ceiling near the middle of the room, playing the game on them with commentary from those two guys Vira had heard in the pre-game show. Everything was a light wood color, and the shelves that held the liquor lit up with lights behind them. There were a lot of windows on the outer walls, revealing the empty Lucan streets, and a few booths for people to sit in to watch the passersby. 

A man stood behind the bar, his head craned up to watch the game, while his hands cleaned an empty glass with an off-white rag. Vira walked in quietly, taking a seat on one of the stools nearby. Although she tried to be quiet, the stool made a scratching noise when she pulled it back, and it was enough to alert the bartender to her presence. He put down the glass and looked at her.

"Not at the game, miss?"

Vira shook her head. "No. Didn't feel like it. Stadium's all full."

The bartender smiled. "Yeah, that's what they say. What can I do for you?"

"A large bottle of Taril Whiskey," Vira replied.

The bartender whistled. "That's awfully hard for someone your age. You sure?"

Vira nodded. "Positive. I have the money. Please, just give me the bottle and a glass."

"Sure, no problem," he answered, turning around to face the shelves of liquor. It only took one look at Vira's face to see the sort of tired, almost desperate resolve she had. The bartender didn't want to argue. "Soyou look familiar," he started. "Have I met you somewhere before?"

Vira rolled her eyes, knowing he couldn't see her do so. "Decidedly not, sir."

"Oh, you don't have to go around calling me 'sir.' I'm just a bartender for this place. Name's Dravil," he said.

"Vira," replied Vira. "Vira Eronwil." It sounded strange. She hadn't introduced herself with her last name in a very long time.

Dravil, a tall lanky man with some muscle on his arms and a long light brown ponytail hanging down to his shoulders, looked around for the type of liquor Vira requested. Vira tapped her fingers on the bar top, getting impatient. Did it really take that damn long to find a bottle of whiskey?

"Vira Eronwil? That's an odd name," Dravil mentioned off-handedly. 

Vira stared at her tapping fingers, not much interested in the conversation, only hoping Mr. Bartending Dravil wouldn't figure out she was the Sorceress. "Yeah, well, I'm not from around here."

"Oh yeah? Where you from?"

Vira sighed. "One of the northern islands. Y'know, those ones people don't go to all that much. Uncharted territory and all that."

Dravil nodded and turned around, holding the large dark red bottle in his hands. He looked at the label and pointed to it. "Taril" he pointed to himself, "Dravil. Funny, eh? My name rhymes with a whiskey."

Vira didn't laugh, but managed a polite chuckle. "Heh, yeah. Funny."

The bartender raised an eyebrow, placing the whiskey on the bar top and looking at Vira with a look that said 'are you sure?' Vira knew that look well. Almost everyone gave it to her at one point or another. "You sure I don't know you from somewhere? You look familiar."

"Must have that kind of face," said Vira quickly. "Got a glass for that bottle?"

"Yeah." Dravil bent down behind the counter, and pulled out clean glass, setting it in front of her. "I swear I've seen you before. Hey, you hear about the hubbub in front of the stadium this afternoon?"

Vira internally winced, but tried to remain nonchalant. "Hmm? What?"

"They said the Sorceress is in Luca, got into a scuffle with some people and froze them in place for a while," Dravil explained. He shook his head. "Nutsos. As soon something goes wrong, they have to blame it on some lady who isn't like everyone else. They kept saying she killed a ton of people, but I never heard of them. Or where. Stupid fabricated stories to make themselves feel better is all it is. It's a goddam shame, if you don't mind my swearin."

"Not at all," Vira replied, lightening up a little. "Youdon't think the Sorceress is a problem?"

Dravil waved his hand and gave her a dismissive look. "Pfft, nah! Okay, Sin died. That's great. The Sorceress comes along a year later. I can see how that'd be a little suspicious, but I've heard nothin but good things about her. The way I see it, we'd all be in big trouble already if she really wanted to do something terrible. And now that Spira's on the divided side of things, maybe this Sorceress chick is around to do some good. Role model and the like. Maybe something for someone to aspire to."

Vira smirked. "You're pulling my leg. How many people think that about the Sorceress?"

"A few," he replied, smiling. "And I know that if you meant ill to people, they'd be dead already. I'd be dead already."

The smirk on Vira's face vanished. Her? Shit. Did he catch on? How did everybody know this? How was she so damn easy to spot? "Huh? Me? What do I have to do with this?"

Dravil grinned and rolled his eyes. "Aw, c'mon, Vira Eronwil. I could tell you was the Sorceress after a few minutes."

Vira frowned. "How?"

"Dunno. There's just somethin about you that's different, y'know? Don't mean no disrespect by it, but, there's this sorta aura about you that most people don't have. You give off thiswhat's the word?Vibe. That's it. Vibe. Powerful too. But, like I said, if you meant to kill anyone, they'd already be dead. And you wouldn't be in here, looking like a hunted down animal asking me for some whiskey that'll probably knock your socks off after one drink," Dravil said. His smile stayed. Behind him, there was the sound of a buzzer going off. Sounded like the Luca Goers just scored. Bobbo started saying something about the 'amazing play.'

"Don'tlet it get around, okay? I've been trying to lay low the whole day and I was doing fine until outside the stadium. I don't want any trouble," said Vira.

Dravil winked, picking up the dirty glass and off-white rag, beginning to clean it again. "Don't you worry, miss. I understand. You just take it easy on that stuff. It's strong."

"I will."

Dravil nodded and walked to the other side of the circle. The noises from the game were still audible in the empty bar. Now Vira felt alone again, but relieved. She stared at the bottle in front of her, and then the glass next to her. For a moment, she didn't move. Did she really need to do this? Vira, the grand escape artist; she can run from anything, even her own mind! That wasn't who she was. That wasn't who she wanted to be, or who she thought she was, anyway.

"You always did think too much," an accented voice said from the stool next to her.

Out of the corner of her eye, Vira saw the apparition of Dorin, sitting at the bar as if he did it all the time. He was smiling a smile that was very unlike his. It was knowing and conspiratorial. 

"Honestly, Vira, you've always been a moody person. Always wondering too much about what others thought of you when you acted like you didn't even care. If you ever make it back homeI mean, where you sort of came fromhow do you think it'll be? You were always worried about the Draconians hating you because of-" Dorin's face melted into Xana's, her obsidian lips extended into a wide sick smile. "-me. You've gotten a taste of what it's liked to be hated for no real good reason, and Spira's supposed to not hold prejudice against sorceresses. What would happen to you if you came back to the world that still generally fears and hates them?"

Vira didn't answer. For a brief second, she closed her eyes, trying to drown out the noise with the sounds of the blitzball game on the screens. It didn't work. She opened her eyes and, with fevered hands, opened the bottle of whiskey, pouring herself a glass until it almost overflowed. She held the glass in her hand apprehensively, some drops of the liquor spilling over the side onto her hand. Now the glass felt slippery and hard to hold onto. She looked over to the stool beside her. Xana's apparition had turned back into Dorin.

"Do you think you'll be able to go anywhere without being hounded or persecuted? You took the powers of the first sorceress. She killed tons of them before her demise. Part of her rule was spent hunting them down and taking their powers. Maybe Rinoa can go around without being looked at because she saved the world and is girlfriend to the Commander of SeeDs. She never uses her powers unless it's doing something good. People like her. But you've always been anti-social, always cold and heartless. You inherit your mother's powers, and have the same hard stare. Do you think you could just walk around and be left alone? You'll be hunted down with no one to protect you. Or do you think there will be? A knight? Did you think that when everyone was against you that someone would come to help? Did you think I would?"

Vira lifted the drink to her lips feeling the cold, smooth glass. She closed her eyes.

"And you think you can keep running tooOh, love, you can't do that. You're heading down the path that'll destroy us all, and I won't be there to protect or help you." Dorin's awful smile spread into an even worse grin. He had never grinned. That was too much.

Vira downed the glass of whiskey in one burning gulp. Her eyes watered and a heaviness came over her eyelids for a second and then lightened. Clumsily she poured herself another glass, spilling some more of the whiskey onto the bar. Before drinking the second glass down the stared over to the chair that Dorin and Xana had been sitting in.

Nothing was there.

That was good. No, better. It was fan-freakin-tastic. Like Auron said, nothing worked better to stop the thinking. Vira knew it was probably a very stupid idea, and somewhere inside her she yelled out how she never drank in her entire life. Except for that one time when she was curious about what Auron kept in his jug. This was the wrong solution, but Vira had spent too many hours thinking and hiding, and nothing had worked. Vira didn't want to be insane, she didn't want to be skipping down the path that made her see things that weren't there and dream nightmares where she killed people she knew. This was her only option at the moment, the only thing she could think of because she wasn't as stupid as she had been two years ago. She wasn't going to kill herself just because things got a little difficult. Just because of nightmares and a few apparitions. They were disturbing-very disturbing-but she wouldn't do something that idiotic. Her apex of stupidity was left behind in Esthar. Yes, this wasn't the grandest idea she ever had, but Vira had a feeling she could hold her liquor. And it had made whatever she had seen go away. She downed the second glass.

Vira hoped it would keep the nightmare away from her for just one night as well. Just one night, and then she could go back to facing whatever it was.

Above her, the screens lit up and the cheers roared, the Kilika Beasts scored. It was going to be a long game. Dravil heard the door open and someone come in, so he greeted them. Vira couldn't hear what they were saying. Whoever it was turned out not to be interested and left. Vira didn't care. She looked up, watching the game, and pouring herself another glass of whiskey. For a while at least, the demons were gone. 

  
5. An Ill Conceived Plan

Squall had managed to find Selphie and Irvine in the merchant district , Selphie showing off her new coat, Quistis and Seifer still wandering in the residential district, and Zell at the entrance to the docks. Dorin was the only one he couldn't find, after he and Rinoa searched through the theater district for a half an hour. Time was of the essence, so Squall hoped Dorin could forgive him for not finding him. He knew Dorin would've wanted to deliver the killing blow to Xana, and of all people, it should have been him, but Squall just didn't have the time to find him. Knowing Xana, she wouldn't stick around forever after the incident. The group looked around the entrance to the blitzball stadium, but she'd been long gone, and the people she had frozen were gone as well. Squall spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening listening intently and searching for anything about the Sorceress. It paid off at dusk, as everyone headed over to the stadium for the game. Squall heard a man say as he passed by that the Sorceress might've been spotted in the restaurant district. Sure, it wasn't a safe bet, but it was better than a blind guess.

He sent Quistis to look for Dorin again in the theater district as he and the others searched every restaurant in the district for someone matching Xana's description. When Quistis finally caught up with them, she said she still couldn't find him, and that he probably wandered into some other district. It was unlike Dorin to just disappear, but Luca was a big place, and they'd just have to find him later.

The group walked past a bar with large windows showing the empty interior. Squall stopped when he saw a woman from behind sitting at the bar. Her hair was a very dark brown, and her coat and pants were black. She sat on a stool, leaning on the bar. That had to be her, but Squall wanted to get a closer look. He just had to make sure she didn't see him.

"Wait here," he told everyone else as he stepped inside.

The bartender had been looking up at the screens playing the blitzball game when Squall stepped inside. He heard the door open and looked at Squall, smiling politely. 

"Can I help you?"

Squall didn't answer for a moment. He stared at the woman at the bar. She was staring up at the game, and in front of her was a bottle of liquor and a glass, which she held in one hand. Looked like she'd spilled some of it already. He couldn't get a good look at her face without her seeing him, though. But it was Xana's height, and hair color. It made sense that she would have cut her hair after entering a new world. The bartender's smile wavered.

"Hey, buddy, can I help you?"

Squall shook his head. "UhI don't think so." He pointed at the woman at the bar. "Who's that?"

The bartender shrugged. "Some lady who wanted to watch the game in peace. You know her?"

It had to be Xana. Vira never would've been drinking such a large bottle of liquor. Squall shook his head and turned towards the door. "No, thanks anyway."

Squall stepped outside into the warm night air. Everyone else stared at him and he ushered them into a nearby alley. They all clamored to find out what was going on. Seifer looked at the alley, noting that they were in back of a few of the restaurants. Trash cans dotted the sides of the alley, reeking of garbage. For a moment, he thought he saw a rat run by.

"Great place for a meeting, Leonhart. Next time, why don't we just take it to the next level and talk inside a dumpster?" Seifer quipped.

Squall sighed. "We don't have time for jokes now, Seifer."

"What's up?" asked Zell.

"I hate to say this, but it's true. We all heard about the incident outside the stadium this afternoon. Rinoa and I heard it from these two people at a café. The Sorceress is in that bar right now. And it can only be Xana. There's no one else," he explained.

Quistis squinted her eyes, making a dubious expression. "Are you sure? Maybe it really is Vira."

Squall shook his head. "Did Vira seem to be the type of person that would drink an entire bottle of liquor by herself?"

"Not really. She didn't seem to be the type to do that much except fight and be silent a lot. She did a lot of thinking," replied Quistis.

"Exactly. Besides, if it was Vira, she'd probably still go along with some of the rules from back home and one of those is that anyone under twenty-one isn't served hard liquor, and that woman had some very hard looking liquor," said Squall.

Irvine rubbed his chin. "But, Squall, don't they always serve stuff at the SeeD graduations?"

"Nothing hard like that. And they only give SeeD graduates one glass. They aren't allowed more than that unless they look very much like an adult," he replied. "I hate to say it, but it looks like it's Xana. We can't hold back any longer. I wanted to find Dorin, because I know he'd like to be involved with this, but we don't have the time to find him. I know that Vira was the only one who had been able to stop Xana, but we have to try."

"What do you suggest?" asked Selphie.

Squall ran one of his hands through his hair. "Wait until the bar closes. If she's drinking a lot, she might be out of it by the end of the night. The streets'll be empty until the game is over. We follow her for a little while, and then hit her hard, and fast. Do our best. It's possible that she's different now and we can damage her."

Seifer frowned. "What if we can't?"

"It's the best plan we have right now. We can't wait and see if she does anything. I know it isn't brilliant, and I know that it might not work, and if it doesn't, we run and hide. Make sure she doesn't see us. But, Xana has taken a lot from all of us. If there's a chance we can stop her before she does something to someone else, I'll take it. What about you guys?"

With solemn faces, the rest nodded.

Squall sighed. It would be a long night for sure "Okay. We'll wait until the bar closes, and then strike. Remember, fast and quick and as quietly as possible. If we can keep her in the dark the whole time, then it'll be easier to escape if we can't finish her. Let's hope we can stop her. Finally"

  
6. Mistaken Identity

"Okay, Vira, I gotta close up now," Dravil said.

Vira looked up from her glass, which she had been staring at for the past five minutes, contemplating whether to drink it or not. When Dravil told her he was closing, Vira drank the glass of whiskey in one gulp. It burned all the way into her stomach. She looked at the bottle and there was still about half of it left.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked.

"Hmmfifteen gil. You had?"

"Six glasses," Vira finished.

Dravil looked shocked and whistled. "Geeeeez! You sure as hell can hold your goddam liquor! Look, just gimme fifteen and that'll be fine."

"I want to keep the bottle," said Vira, already reaching out for it.

Dravil went to stop her, pulling it away from her. "Vira, that's not a good idea. You've had six glasses already. I'm damn surprised you ain't on the floor, passed out or dying already. You drink anymore and you could do some serious damage."

Vira sighed and looked at the bartender. "I'm not gonna drink the rest of the freakin bottle tonight, man. I just want to have it in case I need it again at a later date. Is that alright with you?"

"I guess" Dravil started, loosening his grip on the bottle of whiskey.

Vira reached out, snatching it from his grasp. With her other hand she reached into her pocket, fishing around for gil. "Now, again, how much do I owe you?"

Dravil sighed. "The entire bottle of Taril Whiskey is twenty-five gil."

She pulled out a handful of gil, placed it in the bartender's hand, and said: "There you go. That's thirty-five gil. The extra is my thanks to you."

Dravil clutched the gil in his hand, smiling. "Thanks. You gonna be alright? You have a place to stay?"

Vira pushed away from the bar, wavering slightly, but still clutching the bottle of whiskey in one hand with a tight fist. "I'll be fine. I'm staying at the Hotel Luca. It's not all that far. I can make it no problem."

"Okay" said Dravil.

Vira waved as she exited. "Thanks for everything, man. See ya."

Dravil waved back. "Bye," Vira heard him say as the door closed behind her.

Out in the night air, Vira felt a little bit clearer. Her head certainly wasn't going into overdrive with the thinking process, and her only real concern was finding her way back to her hotel. Vira hadn't felt so relaxed in such a long time. She couldn't remember when. Taking a swig from the bottle of whiskey, and pulling her hood over her head, Vira began to wander towards the hotel.

Dravil had marveled at how she'd taken six drinks down and was still coherent. To tell the truth, it amazed Vira too. She'd never even had a drink at those stupid SeeD functions. Maybe being the Sorceress gave her a larger capacity for drinking. Whatever it was, it was fine with her. There was a bit of heaviness in her eyelids, and tingly warm feeling in her stomach. She knew she'd sleep fine that night. No more nightmares. This was good. She could walk, and talk and be coherent, but all the edge had been taken off. All the excess strain and stress. For a little while, there was no pain.

Vira walked through one of the streets, the light from the lamp up above casting her in a pale yellow glow. She took another swig from her bottle. She began to hum a song she couldn't remember the words to.

_Waitwhat just moved by?_

The humming of the song with no words stopped. Overhead, a street light poured soft yellow light onto Vira. She thought she'd seen something out of the corner of her eye, that crazy peripheral vision, but it must've been nothing. Vira shrugged and walked on, taking yet another swig from the bottle, and promising herself that was the last one.

Squall and Rinoa watched Vira as she walked by, her face hidden behind her hood. They made sure to keep out of sight and in the shadows, where she wouldn't see them. Squall watched her intently, then looked ahead to where she was walking to.

"Seifer and Quistis should be in position in a minute" he said absently.

Rinoa stared at the staggering figure walking down the street, and an idea suddenly came to her. She was a sorceress, so was this woman. It wouldn't be too hard to try toreach out to her, without her knowing. Gauge on how powerful she might be. Maybejust maybefind out she isn't as bad as everyone was fearing she was. Rinoa closed her eyes and reached out with her mind, feeling it stretch in a soft, flowing way until it hit the woman staggering in the street. 

There was power in this woman. Immense power. Andshe felt just like Xana. Xana herself, her power, as if it still had Xana wielding in, and for a moment, Rinoa's fears had been confirmed.

_Waitbeyond the evil feelingwhat is?_

Rinoa stayed connected a moment longer, just long enough to feel something beyond the feeling of Xana's power. It was a sense of compassion, and honor. Even humor, and caring. None of those did Xana ever possess. Rinoa stretched herself farther, and felt a dizzying sense ofbeing drunk? She could nearly see through the woman's eyes, it was amazing the woman didn't feel Rinoa's presence in her. The woman looked down at her left hand.

That confirmed it. One hundred percent. The underlying compassion and caring had led Rinoa to believe it wasn't Xana, and she had stretched far enough to see the evidence that made her believe it with all her heart. Seeing through the woman's eyes, she saw something that only Vira possessed

The small scar on the palm of her left hand.

"Rinoa?" Squall shook her, trying to not feel panic coming on when she hadn't responded to him yet. "Rinoa?!"

Rinoa's eyes flew open and she yelled immediately, "It's Vira! She's alive!!"

Squall stared at her in disbelief. "What? How can you-"

"I reached to her with my powers. It's her, I know it! I could see through her eyes, and I know it's her!" Rinoa exclaimed.

Squall stared as the woman staggered closer to where Seifer and Quistis were supposed to attack first from. He frowned and grabbed Rinoa by the hand, leading her out into the street. "C'mon, we've got to stop Seifer and Quistis before it's too late!"

Vira sighed and looked at her whiskey bottle. Every time she swore she wouldn't drink anymore, a minute later the bottle would be to her lips and the fiery liquid would flow down her throat again. It didn't matter. Everything was okay right now. Five by five. A-okay. Hunky dory. Thinking wasn't an issue, so if she downed a few more sips of whiskey, what would be the problem? She hadn't dropped to the floor yet, and she'd be going to bed as soon as she got back to the hotel.

She stopped. For an instant, she thought she heard someone call her name. She made a face and snorted. That was impossible. Vira continued walking, reaching an alleyway shadowed in darkness.

"There she is," Quistis murmured as the Sorceress walked into view.

Seifer tightened his grip on Hyperion. "Let's go say hello."

As Vira walked past the dark alleyway, again she thought she heard something. She stopped, looking down the street, and then at the whiskey bottle. "Maybe Auron had a point about this stuff..."

"Vira!"

Now she knew someone was calling her name this time. There was no denying it. Maybe it was Yuna or RikkuVira turned to see who had called her name...and was immediately knocked to the ground. She tried to get up but immediately found a sword tip at her throat.

"Hey Xana, miss us?"

Vira blinked at the familiar voice...and cringed at the name.

"Wha...huh?" Vira muttered. "Xana?...What the hell are you talking about? I'm not her. She's dead..."

"Seifer! Let her up!"

Vira turned to see two figures run up, one in a leather jacket, the other in a blue jacket. What the hell was going on? Crazy mob people never sounded this familiar

"What?! Are you crazy Squall?"

"It's Vira!"

Squall? Vira struggled to concentrate, and finally saw a horrible truth staring her in the face. Squall and Rinoa were above her, Quistis standing not far behind. And Seifer was there, right above Vira, gunblade pointed at her throat.

Her friendshad come for her?

  
Author's Notes: It didn't take me quite as long with this chapter, did it? Anyway, I'm having a blast writing this, and have a strange feeling that I'll have to change the genre title before too long. Angst is certainly there, but I think it'll take a different approach soon. Anyway, I know that I'm becoming too prolific for my own good. But, this just means more story goodness for you guys! I'm considering adding some additional notes to Iron Will, so that more people who liked that story, can find this one. Seems that it is indeed in a place that most people wouldn't consider. And to be perfectly honest, I didn't think I'd be writing Iron Will's sequel as a giant crossover. Believe me, we had written over half of a different sequel that was only in FFVIII's universe. It wasn't that bad, but I'd probably want to rewrite it now, if I had decided to go that route. If I had, Iron Will's ending would've been different too, probably more formulaic to the FFVIII type ending. Well, next chapter we'll continue with Vira's troubled encounter with her old friends. She doesn't take it very well. And what happened to Dorin? After seeing Vira on the screen, he disappears into Luca. Where does he go? That'll be revealed in the next chapter! And I know I'll do all right as long as I never have a job class that has "pop star" in it. Creepy Please R&R and lemme know how we're doing. This story's gonna be dialogue intensive, so watch out! Stay tuned! :D


	5. Reunion, Part I

Disclaimer: All characters and situations from the games FFVIII and FFX are property of Squaresoft. I do not claim ownership of any of them. However, I do own any characters that I created myself or my co-author, i.e. Vira Eronwil, Dorin Vachon, Kravis, etcetera. That's about it. You know the drill. We do this for fun and no profit. 

Chapter 5  
Reunion, Part I

_"Hell is other people."_ - No Exit, Jean-Paul Sartre

  
1. Hurtful Truth, Shattered Illusions

  
"It's Vira!" Rinoa repeated as she knelt down next to Vira, pushing away the blade. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

Vira blinked a few times. "What?" She shook her head a few times, putting a hand to her forehead. "Must've had enough to cause damage or somethin..." she muttered to herself. They had to be illusionsthere was no way that it could be real. Vira couldn't wrap her head around the concept. She wasn't Xanawhy would anyone think that? How? She died. Wouldn't they know that? It must've been all the whiskey. It was giving her a violent reaction. No one was there. Not her friends. 

No, that was a lie. A comforting lie. Even through the inebriation Vira knew that the worst had happened. How could they not believe in her enough to know she'd survive? Why would they believe in her mother before her? What kind of friends were those? Vira's common sense was slipping, the alcohol making her feel a bit nauseous, and was beginning to feel like her world was crumbling around her. Everything stopped making sense. What a freakin fabulous day it'd been. It made Vira want to scream out of frustration, but she didn't have the energy.

Rinoa smiled slightly. "Not quite," she said, helping Vira into a sitting pose.   
"Feel better?"

Vira blinked and shook her head. "Soyou're really Rinoa"

"Yes I am."

"And that's really Quistis, Squall, and Seifer."

"Yes."

Vira sighed. "Shit."

"We thought you were Xana," Quistis said quietly. 

In her sitting position, Vira felt around to see where her bottle had fallen to. Oh, what a fortunate day, it hadn't broken when she'd been knocked down. Vira reached over and grabbed the bottle, taking in a large sip. She wiped the excess from her mouth and frowned. That feeling of hurt was being clouded over by anger. How could they? The only thing worse than jumping her in an alley is if all of them had beaten her down and killed her. That would've been the only way it could be worse. Vira was having enough damn trouble separating herself from her mother due to the sorceress power's she'd inherited. She didn't need her old friends making the trouble of the distinction between the two as well. Viradead as a goddam doornail. Her ghost might be making Vira feel insane, but no one else saw her. Xana was dead. So much for the illusion of having her friends come looking for her-not her mother-and saying how much they missed her and were so happy to see her. A delusional dream right down the tube. Fantastic.

"That's very encouraging," she finally said.

"We're sorry," Rinoa said apologetically. "We've been traveling all around Spira for the past few days, and we've been hearing about an 'evil sorceress'. So we thought Xana had somehow survived."

"And you didn't think it was me?" Vira asked, perplexed and angry.

Squall shook his head. "We knew you wouldn't be doing all the things they said you were."

Vira sighed again. "Figures."

_Of course, they'd only hear the bad stories and none of the good ones. End up just like the stupid old woman and her happy mob of anti-sorceress morons. Good job, guys. Very objective. Maybe you should've talked to the bartenderMr. My-Name-Rhymes-With-A-Whiskey._

"We heard about this incident outside the stadium earlier today..." Squall started. 

Vira snorted. "Oh, right. That thing. Boy, that sure was fun."

Fun in the sense of complete and utter freak out. Yeah, great. Now Vira had her problems multiplied by ten. Enemy to crazy old ladies and their mobs, insane and seeing ghosts, drunk, andattacked by the first friends she ever had! If there was a way to make Vira's day any better, she'd loved to hear it. Open to suggestions. Perhaps another mob could jump out and help Squall, Rinoa, Seifer and Quistis beat Vira up. Bring the kids, see the amazing Vira who can easily be mistaken for her bitch mother, Xana! Vira chuckled bitterly. Wouldn't that be funny.

"The people we heard were saying that shefroze people, and it just didn't sound like you," Squall finished. He looked at the bottle in Vira's hand. "That and you didn't seem like someone who'd be in a bar at night."

"Shows what you know then, doesn't it?" she replied. Showed what Vira knew about her friends, too, she supposed. "Sorry, but you can't have any."

Rinoa giggled. "Looks like you've had a bit much yourself. Do you have a room at the hotel? We can talk more there if you'd like."

Vira frowned and pushed herself to her feet, wobbling a bit. "Yeah, I'm expected at the hotel. Hours late. So thanks for dropping by. Next time, feel free to just drop the formalities and go right for the kill."

"Vira?" Quistis began.

"Vira, we're sorry!" Rinoa exclaimed.

Vira rolled her eyes as she stumbled out of the alley. "Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Got it. Look, I've had a really bad day, and I'd like to get to bed before some other catastrophic event comes to bother me."

"We didn't mean tohonestly, we didn't know it was you until-" Rinoa started.

"It was too late," Vira finished, her mouth set in a thin line. Enough with all of that. Apologies and 'I-So-Sorry's only worked for so long, and Vira was definitely not in the mood to hear about it. Damage was done. Her confidence in her friends was at an all time low, and all Vira wanted to do was crawl into her bed and sleep everything off, hoping it'd be a nightmare in the morning. Sure, they didn't mean to. Yeah, they're sorry. Didn't change it. Vira didn't understand what kind of SeeDs were they if they couldn't even figure out who she was. For the first time Vira could remember in a very long time, she felt betrayed. That was the price she paid for trying to be friends to people. Maybe things would look better in the morning when she wasn't sodrunk, but now, they hurt. Badly. And the only weapon Vira had left to communicate how she felt was biting sarcasm. So she used it. "Uh huh. Well, I'm just brimming with the confidence in staying alive you all have in me. I'm so brimming with it, I think I'll go sleep some of it off. Say hi to the others for me."

Before another lying word came out of their mouths, Vira walked off towards the hotel, though her walking pattern was getting more erratic by the moment. Rinoa watched her leave, her face full of guilt and pain for not seeing it before. Squall looked at Rinoa. He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll see her tomorrow at the hotel," he said.

Rinoa turned to him, her eyes glassing over. "How can you be so cool about this? You said she was one of the easiest people to talk to that you ever knew. And we just made her feel like we betrayed her. How can you just stand there and be so calm?!"

"Because someone has to be. I don't like it. We messed up badly. But nothing we say now will get through to her. She's angry, upset, and very drunk by the looks of things. It would only get worse if we tried to talk to her more" Squall paused and sighed, his expression going softer and sad. "It's not like I don't feel bad about it. I do. I missed her a lot, and now I'm worried she won't speak to me, or us, again."

Quistis hugged herself, rubbing her hands up her arms compulsively. "I should have known. I don't make mistakes like that. I thought I knew" She hung her head down. "I can't believe we did that."

Seifer frowned, heaving his gunblade over his shoulder. "Eronwil's always been tough, from what I saw, she'll get over it. It's not like I actually drew blood with her or anything. You guys stopped it before anything really bad happened."

Rinoa walked up to Seifer and smacked him on the back of his head. "That's not the point and you know it! What we did made her feel betrayed. It didn't matter how far we went. Iguess I can understand how she feelsYou wouldn't like it if your old friends just came out of nowhere and mistook you for an evil relative of yours, would you? Mistaken for a Sorceress's Knight again?"

Seifer's frown deepened. "No," he replied. He looked around at the group and sighed. "Let's just find Selphie, Irvine, Zell and Dorin. I've screwed up and I'd like to go sleep it off if you don't mind."

Quistis nodded. "Yes, I think things will be clearer in the morning. Maybe Vira will feel better."

The four walked out into the street, once again bathed in the soft yellow lamplight. Rinoa sighed and grabbed Squall's arm for support. "I hope soI wouldn't want to lose her as a friend as soon as we got her back" she said softly.

***** 

Vira stumbled towards the hotel, frustrated, angry, and confused. How could they have gotten here? And why didn't they know it was her? If they were her friends, they should've recognized her immediately. It didn't take a genius to tell the two of them apart. Xana always seemed tallermaybe that was just because of how nuts she was. And she always seemed to be standing on something high up. But her hair! Vira had blond streaks. What kind of idiot can't see that?! 

She went to tug at her hair, and realized her hood was still up. Growling, Vira tugged it down. Now that would've made it a problembut Xana had a fondness for dresses that Vira would never have. Dresses? Those things totally sucked. No one could fight with those. She never understood how Quistis and Selphie had been able to do it with their skirts and jumpsuits. Since when would Xana change into a nifty little pants ensemble? 

As Vira drew nearer to the glowing lights of the hotel, her frustration grew. She let out an irritated noise that sounded half like a groan and half like a growl. Her emotions were kicking into high gear for once, with the whiskey helping it along. Vira knew that it was a rarity for her to go off on such a tangent with her emotions, at least on the outside. Most of the time, her pain was inside and she didn't let it out sovehemently. Vira always thought she was a calm and collected person, but her self control was gone. Her bad day had to rank among the worst of bad days there were. Her nausea was getting worse, her head was beginning to ache, there was just no end to the problems cropping up. Everything had seemed so clear a few hours ago. Make the demons go away. Make Xana and Dorin's apparitions disappear. Hide from the crowds that hated her. It all had been working. Her day had been bad before this, but she had been managing. She had been dealing with itin a manner of speaking. But then the demons turned into real people, and the whiskey was taking its toll fast. How could her plansand her emotionstake such an awful turn in such a short time?

Vira didn't think it was fair. But, she then relented that nothing in her life ever seemed all that fair. This was just making matters worse.

"Some friends," she muttered as she walked into the hotel, stumbling more noticeably this time, her stomach beginning to do somersaults. "Ooooh, maybe Rinoa was right, I guess I did have too much..."

She glanced around the lobby, her eyelids getting heavier by the second, trying to find the staircase. The plush red sofas that lined either side of the room were empty, everyone already having gone to bed. The front desk was busy, though. A man in black stood at it, arguing with the man behind the desk. The front deskman looked annoyed, his lips pursed.

"I don't care who she's traveling with, I just want to know what room she's in!" The man in black demanded at the front desk. His voice was familiarit was a voice with an aristocratic accent and forceful tone

Vira looked at the man as he turned around, and for an instant, they made eye contact.

"Vira?" Dorin whispered.

_Not now,_ thought Vira. _Got rid of the ghosttalking to the deskmanreal? This is too muchnot all at once_

"Dorin?" Vira mumbled. Her senses finally gave out from under her. Reality and her insanity were blurring in front of her, as did her vision. Darkness crept in from the sides, and her legs gave out from under her. There was only so much she could take. Her limit had been more than reached. Vira slipped into unconsciousness in a heartbeat. 

Dorin caught her just in time as she passed out. From the smell of her, she'd been hitting the alcohol. And hard. Sighing, Dorin hefted her into his arms and turned back to the man behind the counter. "Now, which room did you say she was in?"

The man frowned and pointed to the stairs. "Room 117. I will notify her traveling companions of this. They were expecting her hours ago."

Dorin nodded and turned to go upstairs. _Well,_ he mused to himself, _it could've been worse_

  
2. Tomorrow It May Change

  
Vira opened her eyes slowly and closed them again when she realized how heavy they felt. She put one hand on her forehead and groaned. That was one massive headache she had. Definitely no more drinkin-paloozas for Vira. She tried opening her eyes again, and found it easier this time. Vira was staring at the ceiling of her hotel room, though her vision was a little fuzzy.

Waithow'd she get back to the hotel? Something was off, more so than all the whiskey she'd taken in. Vira tried to remember the night beforefight with crazy old woman? Check. Hide for hours? Check. Go to bar and drink? Check. 

There was a blank, dark space between when she left the bar and the new day that laid before her. Must be what people affectionately called a 'hangover.' Duh. It bothered Vira that there was a span of time she couldn't account for, it left her feeling like there was a hole in her head. But, she figured it would come back. Sometime. Sometime later. 

A knock at the door came, and Vira flinched. It felt like a small moggy construction crew was taking a jackhammer to the inside of her skull.

"Hooibit" was her muffled reply as she drew the covers over her head.

_Wait, it must be Yuna with the 'wake up brigade' of Rikku. Who else would it be?_

"Yuna, I'm really not feeling too good right now, it'll have to wait," Vira said from under the covers. "Unless it's the magical hangover taking away fairy. If that's the case, send her the hell in."

Yuna chuckled as she walked in. "I don't think that's in the job description of a what I do, but I think I can try" She cast a healing spell over Vira which did wonders, getting rid of the headache and most of the grogginess in one go.

Vira poked her head out of the covers and sat up. "Thanks," she said, holding her forehead in her hand again. "Sorry about missing dinner. It woulda been too hard to lay low in a giant hotel restaurant."

"Yes, I suppose it would," Yuna replied, sadly. "Though, you should've come to us when it happened. It's a terrible shame what they did. People can be very close minded sometimes! Spira's always had a problem of people being blind to the truth of a matter"

Vira nodded. "Yeah. That's true. Sorry. I'll make sure to let you know next time a mob decides to take me on."

Yuna sighed. "Rikku certainly knew what she was saying when she told us to be incognito." She paused. It was obvious to Vira that this bothered Yuna, deep inside. But she pushed it away and put a pleasant smile on her face. "Anyway, feeling up to some breakfast? They're serving some in the café, and I'm pretty sure no one will attack you while you're eating."

"Sure, sure," Vira said. "That's what they always say, but then a meteor crashes into the cafe and crushes me while I'm eating."

Yuna shook her head and smiled. "What a lovely sense of optimism you have."

"I try," Vira replied, wryly. "I'll be down in a minute. You go ahead."

Yuna nodded, walking to the door. "Don't take too long, or Rikku will eat all the waffles without you."

Vira smirked. "I'll remember that."

Yuna nodded. "And you must thank your friend that carried you up to us too. He was very polite and said that he was an old friend of yours."

Vira frowned and stared at Yuna intently. 

_Old friend? What the hell does that mean? They're all back home doing whatever the hell they're doing_

"What? I don't have any old friendsnot here"

Yuna quirked an eyebrow. "He was dressed in all black and had some sort of uniform on. I believe you mentioned him before"

Vira sighed and shook her head. Yuna was being weird too, and Vira wasn't in the mood to deal with it. Everything could wait until later. A little perspective on the day. And getting the hell out of Luca would be nice, considering how they didn't seem all that hospitable to Vira. "Whatever. I'll deal with it later. Just go ahead. If you don't, Rikku will have eaten her own weight in waffles, I'm sure."

Confused, Yuna nodded again. "Alright then. See you downstairs," she said, opening the door and disappearing behind it.

Vira stared at the door for a moment. She scoffed at it. "My insanity won't be a problem now that Spira's gone nutso itself"

Vira looked around her room, looking for her boots and coat. They'd ended up on the other side of the room, the coat draped on a chair, and the boots placed carefully underneath. Vira frowned. Her memory of the night before was hazy at best. She went over the events of the day before in her mind again. Being attacked by a mob, yeah, she remembered that, getting a disguise and hiding for a good several hours, yep that too, going into the bar and drinking a lot of whiskey from a bartender named Dravilyeah, that too. But there was an inbetween time. After she left the barwell, damn. That's what you get for drinking. Vira sighed and figured that if it was really important, she'd remember it eventually. And maybe by the time she got down to breakfast, Yuna would make some more sense.

After lacing up her boots, Vira threw on her new coat, and stood in front of the full length mirror, buttoning it up. There was no way she'd wear the "come persecute me!" walking target wear from the day before. Maybe in Besaid, but not in Luca.

Vira frowned. What was it she was forgetting? And why did it bother her so much? Why did the pit of her stomach nag at her? She hadn't felt like there was something locked away in her mind since the memories of her childhood had flooded back into her consciousness in her nightmares. It had been important then. Why did it seem so important now? Why was that same feeling ebbing at the edges of her mind?

Sighing, she shrugged it off as nerves and left the room and walked to the stairs leading down to the lobby, where at the foot stood-

"Ohhhh hell" Vira muttered.

In the bar, drinking had made the apparitions of Dorin and Xana go away. Before that, Vira was never quite sure what did it. But, Vira hoped that closing her eyes would do the trick this time, because she was definitely not in the mood to listen to some cryptic nonsense given to her by a Dorin look-alike who would turn into Xana in the blink of an eye. He was smiling at her, as if he'd been waiting for her there. It wasn't the best way to kick off the morning. And in public, it just made Vira feel more insane. She'd get rid of it.

"Not there, not there. Stupidit is" she mumbled to herself.

She shakily descended the stairs, trying to ignore the Dorin phantom. It smiled at her again slightly and nodded to her. "Vira"

Vira scowled. It was still smiling. 

_Oh, yeah, I'm sure the whole going on a bender was really funny to it. No doubt it will start going on about how hilarious it was._

Vira sighed and continued towards the café.

The ghost blinked as she walked past. "UhmVira?"

Vira sighed again, this time in an exasperated tone. It sure as hell wasn't going to leave her alone until she said something. Wonderful way to start the day. How come everything was beginning to get difficult again? Hadn't she deserved a longer rest than this? If you could even count the last two years a rest. "If what you're going to say is about how funny yesterday was for you, then shove it. Not interested. Besides, talking to someone else no one can see is not very good for sanity. So move along," she whispered harshly, though she never looked directly at the apparition. It'd be worse if she did. Looking into Dorin's eyes used to make her stomach clench and twist, but in a good way. His eyes had always been the most expressive things about him. Even if his face was set in this expression of stone, she could still see something in his eyes. The apparition's eyes would just be a mockery of what Dorin was. Vira couldn't take that.

The ghost said nothing, though it seemed rather hurt by what she said. She didn't care, it wasn't real. She smiled to herself. That ought to show Xana. That's right. She wasn't gonna take shit from something that wasn't real. Even if she had to suffer the rest of her life with a ghost of her mother that decided sometimes it'd be fun to look like Dorin, she could not take it lightly. If she couldn't get rid of it, she'd make damn sure it wouldn't have fun with her problems.

Vira continued towards the restaurant, but then paused for a second. None of what she said had ever botheredwhatever the hell the thing wasbefore. Why would it be hurt now? Vira let out a frustrated groan. She wanted to scream, but it was definitely the wrong place to do so. Going back to bed and waiting until the world made sense again was beginning to seem like a very good idea. For some reason, from the moment she'd woken up, everything was wrong, nothing added up, and even her own signs of insanity were being weird. What the hell was going on?

Luca's hotel had a pleasant restaurant for their guests, with the same red decor as the lobby and lounge. Light wood tables with matching chairs were all around the room. Each chair looked comfortable with garnet colored cushions on them. A few potted plants stood proudly in the corners, with a wall of windows on either side, letting in the beautiful morning sunshine. In the back were double doors, colored a very non offensive gray to match the walls, with two circular windows in them, obviously leading to the kitchen. People were already settled into their tables, eating, drinking, and Vira was sure she could hear some people towards the back laughing. It was comforting in a certain way. Yuna and Rikku were sitting, sharing some idle chitchat at one of the tables in the middle of the room. Yuna was cutting a waffle on her plate into little pieces and popping them in her mouth inbetween moments of speech on her part. Rikku took a more direct approach as she drenched her waffles in butter and syrup, taking the entire waffle by the fork and taking big bites of it.   
  
"Vira? You okay there?" Rikku asked as she sat down, her waffle sagging off her fork.

Vira slumped into her chair, frowning. "Not exactly. Nothing is making a whole lot of sense and I just woke up. Makes me doubt how well today is gonna turn out. Sohow about you?"

Rikku shrugged. "Okay I guess. By the way, the guy who carried you up to your room last night? _Very_ hot." She winked at Vira, giggling.

Vira's jaw dropped. Well, that certainly explained how she got back the hotel. "Say what? What guy?"

"The man in black I was telling you about before," Yuna said. "I passed him on the way down, you should have seen him."

"Uhhwas I supposed to?" Vira asked. A sense of dread was creeping up on Vira, like she knew she'd just made a colossal mistake.

Rikku sighed in exasperation. "I just saw you walk right past him! He smiled and said something to you but you ignored him!"

Vira was now utterly confused, and suspected that embarrassment would be just a second away. How could she mistake that man for an apparition of Dorin? Well, easily considering she'd been seeing things, and Dorin was probably doing something official in Draconia as she ate her breakfast. Still, a big mistake was looming over Vira's head. "I did? I didn't think there was anyone there"

"Yes you did, and he looked pretty hurt after you past by," Rikku replied.

"I saw him leave after you past," Yuna said. "Did you say something to him?"

"Well" Vira started. 

_Shit. Way to go, Vira. Screw up again. Smart. Insult the guy who dragged you back into the hotel when you obviously passed out from the booze. Good one. Freakin idiot_

"Ithat aren't there. It's...a sorceress thing, I guess. I" Vira smacked herself in the forehead, and quickly pushed her chair back and stood up. "Where'd he go? I think I just did something stupid."

"I think he left the hotel, ya better hurry," Rikku said. Vira jumped up and ran into the lobby. He wasn't there, and she raced to the door. She couldn't let the man get away without apologizing. It would bother her to no end. She'd brood about it and get that frowny face she got, and she already had enough to deal with, what with the missing time from the night before and finding lost friends. More than enough. Vira needed to apologize. She sighed. That was the theme of her life, it seemed. And what was she supposed to say anyway? 'Sorry, I mistook you for someone I knew a few years agowell, just an apparition of him actually.' Oh, yeah, that sounds perfect. Vira rolled her eyes at herself. Sorry, plain and simple would have to do it. There, outside near the edge of the street that overlooked the ocean, she saw him standing, hands behind his back as if in thought.

"Hey!" she called out, momentarily forgetting she didn't want to attract attention to herself. "S'cuse me! I wanted to apologize about a few minutes ago, Ithought you were someone else" Vira ran the rest of the distance over to him, and tapped him on the shoulder. "S'cuse me"

He didn't turn to face her, but kept staring out into the ocean. "Has it been that long that you've forgotten about me?" he asked. His voice sounded muffled over the noise of the crowd around them.

"Huh?" Vira said, confused. "Forgotten?"

_What? Did I save this guy from something?_

"Do you even recognize me?"

Vira frowned slightly. "Oh, yeah, I'm sure I've seen the back of that head before" She rolled her eyes, then she sighed. "I said I was sorry, okay? I thoughtit's hard to say what I thought, but I guess the simplest explanation is that I thought you were something else. My friends told me you brought me back to my room last night and I wanted to thank you. I really can't remember much of last night. So, sorry, and thank you."

He turned to look at her, and Vira's throat caught. It couldn't be, it had to be a hallucinationbut she knew she wasn't, not this time. Was this what she forgot? It was amazingnever had she thought she'd run into him like this. She'd hoped she'd see him again someday, but it was sooner than she had though. Dorin was real, and he was standing there in front of her. Vira was shocked. Utterly shocked. 

"Dorin?" she muttered.

Dorin smiled sadly. "Yes."

Vira stumbled over her own words, and felt very stupid while doing so. This hadn't happened before. There was that urge to just hug him and tell him she missed him all this time, but there was a lot holding back. She couldn't do it. What held her back?

The nightmare. She hadn't had it the night before, but she had the night before that, and the night before, and so on. The image of his face before he died at her hands came to the forefront of her mind. He might be standing in front of her, but in the end, it'd just be better if she kept her distance. She wouldn't want to hurt him. It was the smartest decision to make. 

But, she was definitely feeling very stupid at the moment. How could she not know it was really him? "Ioooh, sorry"

Dorin let out a heartfelt sigh. "It's alright. I suppose after this long it can't be helped."

"Well, it's not exactly what you thinkI mean, uhm" Vira sighed. "I wouldn't be able to explain it without sounding completely nuts. Though, that might be a bit of an improvement of me in your opinion" She strained a nervous chuckle. Dorin was finally in front of her and what had she done? Act like a complete nutso and hurt his feelings. Oh, good show. Vira couldn't believe how much of an idiot she was. Words wouldn't describe it.

Dorin smirked and shook his head. "I suppose. I guess there's a lot we need to talk about don't we."

_Why don't you be more nervous? Try stumbling over more words, I'm sure it'll make him feel more at ease. What the hell is your problem? You never had a hard time talking to anyone before, even him. Bring it together, girl, and be yourself...y'know, the crazy one._

"Uhhyeah, I think there is. Lots of questions, and such," Vira replied. "Ihave some people waiting for me inside, thoughwhy don't you come along?"

Dorin nodded. "Of course."

Vira motioned towards the hotel and started walking. "Heh, I probably shouldnt've been so noisy," she said, glancing around. "Coulda had yesterday all over againhow've you been?"

_'How've you been?' Could you possibly find a stupider question to ask? Two years and the best question you come up with is that? You suck. Idiot. Moron. Surprised he even wants to talk to me._

"I've been well," Dorin replied. "The others should be coming by soon. They'll want to talk to you as well."

"Others?" Vira asked, frowning.

"Yes. Squall, Rinoa, and the rest are here as well."

Inside the restaurant, Vira saw Yuna and Rikku waving at them to come over. Vira walked over to them, but the strange feeling that something was off was bothering her again. "Are they? Listen, I heard from my friends that you brought me up to my room last night, and I honestly can't remember it. I must've been pretty out of itMy bad."

Dorin smirked slightly. "Yes you were. You reeked of whiskey, I'm surprised you don't have the mother of all hangovers right now."

"Yuna took care of it. Still a little tired, though," said Vira.

"I see. Rinoa will be interested in learning their magic then," Dorin replied as they walked up to Rikku and Yuna's table.

Yuna stood up and bowed slightly as they arrived, while Rikku waved and shoved her hand at Dorin to shake it. "Hi! I'm Rikku!" she proclaimed.

Dorin shook her hand and bowed deeply. "Lord Dorin Vachon of the House Vachon," he replied.

Rikku giggled. "Sounds really official. So, are you taken or are you Vira's?" she asked, giving Vira a sly glance.

Vira scowled at Rikku and slumped into her chair. "Hahahah, funny, Rikku. Really funny"

Dorin stuttered. "Ah, w-well, I'm not sure, that is to say-"

"It's okay," Rikku replied. "I just wanted to embarrass Vira."

"Mission accomplished," Vira grumbled. "Now sit down and eat your waffles."

"Oh yeah! Waffles!" Rikku plopped down into her seat, savagely stabbing another waffle with her fork trying to devour it with large bites.

Yuna laughed. "Rikku is into jokes. Don't mind her. Please, sit down and join usbefore Rikku eats it all"

"Yesh, ish very good!" Rikku exclaimed, her mouth full with waffle.

Dorin smiled. "I see. I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced yet. You are?"

"I'm Yuna. The man at the desk told us you brought Vira back to her room last night," Yuna said, smiling. "Thank you. We were worried."

"You're quite welcome," Dorin replied.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" asked Vira. "Or howwhichever. I mean, this is beyond weird"

Dorin sighed. "How long are you going to be here, because it's a very long story."

"Talk fast," Vira replied. "You said we needed to talk and here we are."

Dorin nodded and began to tell them of events that happened after the Siren sank. He told them of the raising of the Siren, their entering the portal, and entering the ruined Zanarkand. At that point, he relayed how they all saw what seemed to be ghosts of the pilgrimage and that two of the girls had looked remarkably like Yuna and Rikku, and the blue lion man who later turned out to be Kimahri in Mount Gagazet. Yuna very quickly explained that it was the pyreflies, and of her pilgrimage two years before. Dorin listened intently and then told them of his travels around Spira with Squall and the others, and how it led them to Luca. He told Vira what Rinoa and Squall had related to him of their botched attempt at apprehending her.

"So, Rinoa's blaming herself for not recognizing you sooner, Quistis is blaming herself for not stopping Seifer, Seifer's mad because he thinks everyone's blaming him, Zell and Irvine are blaming Seifer, Selphie is disappointed because she wants to have a party for you, and Squall iswell, Squall," Dorin finished, chuckling slightly.

Yuna and Rikku stared at Dorin, wide eyed and overloaded with information. Vira frowned. "I knew I was forgetting something important about last nightShit."

Dorin nodded. "They're terribly appalled by what they did. They're afraid you won't forgive them."

Vira grumbled and stuffed a piece of waffle in her mouth.

_I sure as hell don't want to go up to them and have a good ol family reunion with them. Mistake me for Xana? Oh, yeah, I really want to trade stories with them now. Ingrates_

"Where are you all heading?" asked Yuna, attempting to get rid of the oncoming silence.

"Besaid," Dorin replied. "It's the only place we haven't been to yet."

"Oh really? We're heading back there later today. We'll all end up on the same boat," Yuna said.

Rikku grinned. "That'll be cool!"

Dorin nodded. "We look forward to it."

Vira smiled thinly. "Yeah. Great." As if she really wanted to spend a day's boat ride with her old friends now that she heard what they did. It certainly made sense why she'd block it out. Who would want to remember her friends doing the basic equivalent of betrayal? Not Vira.

"It'll be good to get out of here." Rikku leaned towards Dorin and added, "Yuna's hoping to find her guy Tidus back in Besaid. We thought he was here."

"Rikku!" Yuna exclaimed, turning pink in her cheeks.

Rikku gave her an innocent grin that made her look positively elfish. "What? It's true and you know it!"

Dorin smirked. "I see. I hope that you find him then."

"Oh, we'll find Tidus," Rikku said cheerfully. "He'll be in Besaid by the time we get back!"

Yuna smiled softly. "I hope so"

Vira looked up from her breakfast. "He'll be there. He's not here, so he'll have to be there," she said. "And that's the last time I'm gonna repeat that to you. He. Will. Be. There. So relax."

Rikku stuck out her tongue. "C'mon Vira, let the lovesick be lovesick."

"Rikku!" Yuna exclaimed, turning red.

Rikku shrugged. "Just saying."

Vira chuckled and looked back down at her breakfast. "Fine. Just saying she doesn't need to be so worked up about finding him. She can focus her energy on what to say to him when we get there."

Yuna's eyes grew wide. "I hadn't thought of that"

Rikku and Vira looked at Yuna, dumbfounded. "You mean you're gonna see your boyfriend who's returned from the dead and you haven't even thought of what you're gonna say to him?!" yelled Rikku.

Yuna shrugged and looked at them nervously. "WellI've just been so caught up in finding him that I haven't thought about what I'd say to himshould probably do that"

"Well, don't take any tips from Vira. You saw how she handled Dorin. Y'need to say somethin nice andLike you are!" Rikku exclaimed, winking at Vira.

"Do you want me to kill you with my waffle, Rikku?" asked Vira, glowering at her. "Because I can do that, y'know."

"It'd be interesting to see in the school of lethal breakfast pastries," Dorin said.

Vira snapped her glare at Dorin, shaking her waffle at him. "Don't you start." Grumbling to herself, Vira looked back at her breakfast and stuffed the piece of waffle in her mouth.

"I'm just funnin ya, Vira!" Rikku said, elbowing her in the ribs.

Vira gave Rikku a silent stare as she ate her breakfast. Rikku rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay! Yeesh! Was she always like this?" Rikku asked.

Dorin merely shrugged. "Nothing I haven't seen before."

"Dead men tell no tales, Dorin," Vira stated.

"Yes ma'am."

"How long did you say it'd be before your friends arrived?" Yuna asked Dorin. "Because if we all have to make the boat, we'll have to be going soon."

"They should be coming-ah, here they are," Dorin said, turning to the entrance of the cafe where Squall and Rinoa stood, waving them over to their table.

"How convenient," Vira mumbled.

Rinoa smiled at the group as she approached the table. "Hi. So, Dorin, I guess you found Vira, huh?"

"The rest are coming. Selphie just misplaced a boot or something. She's looking for it in her room," Squall said as he came over.

Dorin rolled his eyes. "Trust Selphie to do something like that. Ah, Lady Yuna, Lady Rikku, this is Squall Leonhart and Rinoa Heartilly, two of my traveling companions."

Yuna and Rikku stood up, Yuna bowing slightly, and Rikku sticking her hand out and shaking Rinoa's. Squall didn't offer his hand, but Rikku didn't seem to notice as she took it and shook it as she grinned at them. 

"Pleased to meet you," Yuna said.

"Yeah, what she said," added Rikku.

Squall blinked. "Let's not introduce Rikku to Selphie right off."

Vira paled. "No, dear Hyne no."

Rikku looked at them with confusion. "Huh?"

"Never mind," said Vira.

Yuna smiled. "I heard we're all going to be taking the same boat together today."

"You're going to Besaid too?" Rinoa asked.

"I am from there," Yuna replied. "I live there with some of my friends."

Rikku nodded. "Except me, because I have to go around, showing people how to use machina and stuff like that. Oh, and Kimahri 'cause he teaches all the little Ronsos up in Mount Gagazet. But I'm here to help Yunie find her boyfriend Tidus. We think he's in Besaid since he's not here."

"Yeah, and we'll miss the boat if we keep sitting around here and eating waffles," Vira said.

"Well then let us be off," Yuna said, leaving the gil they owed for the breakfast on the table as they left.

The group left the hotel restaurant, walking down the long hallway to the main lobby. Sunshine filtered through the windows above them next to the staircase. Everything in the hotel just felt of the calm and freeing feeling that only late spring or summer could bring. A clear, bright, innocent and crisp feeling. More plants, similar to those that adorned the restaurant, lined the hallway underneath a red carpet that matched the motif of the hotel. As they walked, Rinoa looked over at Vira. "Are you feeling better today?" she asked quietly.

"I'm tired," she replied, monotonously. At that point, Vira already felt overloaded with information. It left her feeling torn in half. Half of her was genuinely happy to see them again, and understood how they could've made the mistake of thinking she was Xana-hell, those days she was having a hard time keeping herself separate too-but then the other half was hurt. The other half whispered accusations of betrayal, that no one had believed in her. Had they ever believed in her? The thought shattered her perceptions of the last few years, and the reason she'd bothered to feel any emotion in the first place. Emotions really were double edged swords, and Vira never handled hers deftly. Vira wasn't sure whether to yell at them in anger, feel sad and hurt, or just grateful she actually was seeing them again. Confusion. Vira hated being confused more than nearly anything. It ranked very high on the 'things Vira hated' list along with Xana, Kravis, dresses and the color pink.

"We're sorry, for last night I mean," Rinoa said apologetically. Vira looked into her eyes and saw she really meant it.

"Okay," Vira said, looking away. "I'd say that'd be a good reaction."

"For mistaking you?" Rinoa asked. "When we got here, all we heard about was an evil sorceress did this or the evil sorceress did that. So we assumed the worst." She paused for a moment. "I did feel her inside you."

Vira frowned. She wasn't in the mood for being Miss Share again. Things had been all about Vira sharing what was going on way back when, and for a while, it hadn't been. Attention had been equal all around. Now she felt the tables shifting back at her again and didn't like it. Excess attention on her problems that she was trying to deal with only made her feel more pressured to just gush about them and then feel fine. "I am related to her. And it was her power."

Rinoa nodded and shivered. "It's so strong though. Stronger than it should be."

"What are you getting at?" Vira snapped.

"N-n-nothing!" Rinoa stammered.

Vira's frown deepened. Rinoa was trying to make Vira share again. That wasn't good. Nope, definitely not peachy keen. "No, I think you were getting at something."

Rinoa sighed. "II'm just worried about you is all. Our powers are blessings and curses."

Vira sighed. "Yours is more a blessing, mine is all curse."

Rinoa smiled sadly. "I wouldn't say that. Being junctioned to Adel is something I still have nightmares about to this day."

"Every night?"

Rinoa's mouth creased into a line. "Sometimes. Sometimes it's the fight with Ultimecia, and others it's seeing Father die in my arms."

"I mean the same nightmare, every night. And that each night it reveals more and more that's worse. You have that?" asked Vira.

Rinoa shook her head. "No. Most of the time they alternate."

"Okay then," said Vira.

"Have you been having nightmares like that?"

Vira frowned. Wow, Rinoa was trying to outdo Dorin in the 'most stubborn' person. Vira wondered how much this annoyed Squall when he first met Rinoa. "Maybe."

"Nothing you want to talk about, right?" Rinoa supplied.

"Look, a part of me understands why you people made the assumption you did about being evil and everything, but there's a big part of me that is disappointed you weren't here looking for me and that I was mistaken for my mother, who I still hate very much. I never want to end up like her," Vira said. She sighed. "Besides, I don't think talkin will make much of a difference. I'll end up becoming the center of attentionagain."

Rinoa nodded. "Okay, I understand. Justif you ever want to, I'll always listen." She smiled softly before she went to catch up to Squall.

Vira grumbled to herself._ Damn, even after mistaking me for Xana, she's still all nice and wanting to be there and lend an ear if I want oneDamn conflictionsdamn emotionswhy do I even bother to have any if all they're gonna do is rebel against me? Geez,_ she thought.

As the group entered the main lobby, they spotted the rest of Squall's friends, milling around the front desk. The deskman from the night before was back on the clock for his job, keeping a suspicious eye on the group. He stood behind his light wood desk, 'tsk-tsking' the entire group. Once again, his mouth was pulled into a taught line. A few passersby would walk from the stairs to the front entrance, or to the restaurant, and some others came in from the outside. The main lobby was also filled with the welcoming sunshine that felt just like summer. Above the double doors that led outside was a large circular window that provided most of the light in the room. Seifer was tapping his foot impatiently while Quistis stood next to him and was trying to calm him down. In front on the stairs stood Irvine and Zell, talking about Spira's lack of hotdogs. Irvine shook his head, tipping his hat back at Zell's exasperated whining. Selphie was hopping down the stairs, pulling her boot on with one foot. Her flip hairstyle bouncing up and down as she hopped, making her look eternally like a hyper-active child.

"Coming! Coming! I'm coming! Just a sec!" she panted, trying to hop down the stairs and pull her boot on at the same time.

Despite herself, Vira smiled slightly. "At least some things never change."

Selphie finished putting on her boot as she tripped the last step and fell on Zell. The two of them fell onto the carpeted floor, Zell cursing under his breath. Selphie quickly hopped up and gave Zell a hand as he tried to get himself on his feet again.

"Sorry Zell, I missed that last step," she giggled.

"No kiddin," he grumbled. "A world with no hot dogs, and then you constantly hittin me in the ribs and knocking me over. I ain't your fall guy!"

"Oh, sure ya are!" Selphie said, grinning, her perkiness practically overflowing. "We're like a comedy duo."

"No, you and Irvine, that's a comedy duo," Zell said, snickering.

Selphie stuck her tongue out at him. "Meany."

Vira chuckled. "Nope, no changes whatsoever."

Selphie turned and saw her standing there. "VIRA!" she squealed, hopping over to her and giving her a big hug, squeezing tightly. Yeah, it was very apparent to Vira that two years hadn't changed Selphie one bit. She might've been twenty, but she had the demeanor of a happy five year old. For most people, it was an endearing trait. Vira wasn't quite sure if she fell in that category. Especially with Selphie squeezing the living daylights out of her. 

"Selphie" Vira grunted.

"Oh, sorry," Selphie replied as she let go, her emerald eyes gleaming in the filtered sunshine. "But this is soooo great! We're gonna have to have a party and everything! We'll need food and lot's of balloons"

Vira looked over her shoulder at Dorin. "Help," she pleaded.

Dorin held up his hands in surrender. "I have nothing to do with it, therefore I'm not involved."

Vira glared at him. "Traitor" She looked back at Selphie. "Uh huh, yeah, nice to see you and everything butNo. Party. N-O. No reason to party. Going to miss boat now, therefore, I go."

"But we're going with you, so we got time to plan!" Selphie exclaimed brightly.

"Well, let's put the party business on hold for right now, sunflower," Irvine smoothly interceded, winking at Vira. "We got ourselves a boat to catch."

"But breakfast-!"

"Hey, you lose your boot, you lose your breakfast," Zell said, striding in front of Selphie. The grin he wore was just like the one someone has when they see karma in action. He stopped in front of Vira before moving on, giving her a genuine smile of happiness and put his hand out for Vira to shake. "It's great to see you again Vira."

Vira reluctantly shook Zell's hand, which he then grabbed forcefully getting her into the so-called 'manly' hug, as he patted her on the back a few times with his free hand. "We all missed you a lot."

"Agh, more hugging" Vira said, pushing Zell off of her. She sort of forced a smile as she added, "It's good to see you too, Zell."

Feeling satisfied by Vira's response, Zell continued ahead, disappearing out the front doors of the hotel.

Selphie pouted, her lower lip pushed out so far Vira thought it could pass as a tongue it she pouted any farther, and followed Zell. "There better be tasty snacks on the boat"

"I'm sure there will be darlin," Irvine drawled as he ushered her out. To Vira, he whispered, "Good to see you again Vira!"

Dorin chuckled. "And thus, life goes on."

Vira rolled her eyes. "It's so very encouraging."

"It could be worse, she could've had her morning coffee by now."

Vira cringed. "Ughthis touchy feely crap makes me feel even worseblech."

Dorin laughed as he shook his head. "Come on, let's head to the docks."

"Fine," Vira replied as she followed the group out the hotel and into the morning sunshine. 

The deskman's tight lipped expression relaxed. He could tell there was something different about that group of people, and the quicker they were out of the hotel, the better.

  
Author's Notes: Wow! Not too slow on this one, eh? Okay, next chapter will involve everybody on the boat from Luca to Kilika. That one always takes a night to get there, so there will be lots of catching up for all. Vira will catch up a little with Dorin, and have yet another curve ball thrown at her, which leaves her feeling as confused as she had during Iron Will. She wants to handle it better than she had, but has she grown enough to cope with it all? And can she find it in herself to truly forgive everyone for their mistake? When will we see Yuna and Tidus finally reunite? What's up with the ghostly apparition that Vira keeps seeing? Will it come back, along with the nightmare? Can someone stop me from asking questions? Stay tuned for the next chapter in this story that has ended up much longer than I had anticipated already! Please read & review to let us know how the story's going. We love the attention! ;) Until next time!  



	6. Forward and Backward

Disclaimer: All characters and situations from the games FFVIII and FFX are property of Squaresoft. I do not claim ownership of any of them. However, I do own any characters that I created myself or my co-author, i.e. Vira Eronwil, Dorin Vachon, Kravis, etcetera. That's about it. You know the drill. We do this for fun and no profit. 

Chapter 6  
Forward And Backward 

_"And I'm haunted,  
By the lives that I have loved,  
And actions I have hated,  
I'm haunted,  
By the lives that wove the web  
Inside my haunted head."_ – Haunted, Poe

  
1. Old Times New

It didn't take long for the group to reach the ship leaving for Kilika. Along the way, Yuna had explained to Squall and the rest that the trip from Luca to Kilika was an overnight one, and they'd be spending the night on the boat. They'd then reach Kilika in the early morning, and Besaid by lunchtime. Zell had asked her why she bothered to take the slow, old boats when they could just zoom back in an airship or machina cruiser. Yuna had laughed and told him that while machina was more popular than it used to be, sometimes the peaceful route was better to take. She was not interested in attracting attention to herself, she'd already shirked off who knew how many meetings with people she'd promised to see months in advance. Just think about how many people would be gawking if she flew around in one of Rikku's airships? Rikku had giggled at the thought, and mentioned how her father was making her one for her next birthday; she'd snuck a peek at it by accident one day back at her home. That put to rest any immediate questions anyone had about the voyage to Besaid, and left everyone to enjoy themselves on the boat and to get acquainted with Yuna and Rikku.

The boat was the same one that always ferried people from Luca to Kilika, and vice versa. It was a moderately sized boat, made from light wood, with an upper deck shaded by the mast. There was plenty of space to walk around, and even some space to explore underneath the ship. O'aka had managed to get on the boat too, staking his claim in the hallway near the potted plant, making sales pitches to anyone who walked by. Two years and O'aka still hadn't made his empire, and was still always ready to scramble for a sale. The boat itself had much of the same décor that Luca had; red carpets in the lower deck, light wood motif, and a very bright, breezy feeling to it. It kept everyone at ease, as they scattered about, doing their own thing. 

Selphie and Rikku were in an animated discussion about parties, waffles, and any other topic that they could think of. Yuna was talking to Quistis about the types of magic that Spira used, and a bit about the changes to more machina since the fall of Yevon. Zell and Irvine were leaning over the railing, staring at the different fish that the ocean had. Zell kept saying how they looked so different than Balamb-fish. Rinoa was down in the lower deck, feeling a bit seasick, Squall also down there making sure that Rinoa was okay. Seifer was leaning against the mast in the shade, watching Quistis' conversation with Yuna. On the top deck, Vira sat at the edge, looking out into the stunning ocean.

Things had begun to move at a breakneck pace, and Vira wasn't sure if she could go with it. After the year of wandering with Tidus and Auron, and the year before stuck in a prison cell with the bleach blond jock, Vira's pace and intake of big events had been lowered dramatically. It's like cruising in a car at ten miles an hour and suddenly putting the pedal to the metal and jammin it up to sixty, in two seconds flat. You're liable to feel squished, or your stomach coming up to say hello to your throat. For Vira, there were so many questions that were unanswered. And then there were her torn feelings about her old friends, the ghost that looked like Xana and Dorin, her ultimate agenda of finding out why she'd been in prison for so long, oh, and let's not forget Dorin again. Rikku seemed to like him quite a bit, just a sort of smitten that never went anywhere. She had called him 'very hot' something that had never crossed Vira's mind and made her laugh when it just had. It didn't look like he'd changed much. Whether that was good or bad was up to interpretation. And no matter how much she'd thought about it, time had passed, and being able to fit into some sort of old pattern they had would be impossible. If they had even had a pattern in the first place. Although, everyone else seemed to fit into an old pattern quite nicely. Rikku and Selphie were talking as if they'd been friends since childhood, Yuna chatting it up with Quistis like they'd met before that morning. Was it that they could accept change faster than Vira? Was she too slow? They all seemed to take everything in stride, smiling and making a joke along the way. The ultimate truth about it was that Vira felt left behind. Her new friends being friends with her old friends, and Vira sitting by herself, thinking and feeling the urge to both hug and punch her old friends all at the same time. People really were Hell. A confusing, annoying Hell that somehow Vira still wanted to be a part of, and a side of her hated that.

"It's pretty, isn't it," Dorin observed as he walked up behind her.

"Uh huh," Vira muttered, without turning around.

She heard Dorin sit beside her and stare out at the ocean for a while. "What are you thinking about?" he asked after a while.

"Didn't you used to ask me that question all the time?" said Vira.

"I guess I did. Old habits die hard I suppose."

"How can everyone fall into the same old pattern just like that? They've just…clicked with Rikku and Yuna and it's like everyone's known each other for years," Vira said, staring at the water.

Dorin shrugged. "Some people can do that. I suppose it also helps that Lady Yuna and Lady Rikku are the type that are receptive to that sort of thing."

Vira grunted. For a moment she didn't say anything, just kept her eyes on the calm waters. In the sun, they glistened like shining jewels. Vira never knew how the ocean did it, but on beautiful days, it'd look like it was nothing but brilliant jewels, lit up by the sun's light. It didn't matter at the moment. Vira wanted to look at Dorin, and why not? She'd never been afraid to look someone in the eye and tell them exactly what she thought of them. Usually that would amount to her telling them off, though. Again, that goddam nightmare kept her from it. The eyes. They had always been the last feature of his face she'd seen. And they had always been the most emotional and striking thing about him. It frustrated her that she couldn't, but that was something she'd have to either ignore or deal with later. She said, "I'm sorry about earlier."

Dorin smiled softly. "It's alright. I'm just a little confused as to why you reacted that way."

"Like I said, there's no explanation that wouldn't make me sound like I've completely lost it," Vira said.

_That is the truth, there. No doubt. Except for the fact that you've never been the poster girl for 'Sanity Fare'. In fact, from the minute he's met you, you've been a total basket case. What's different about it this time is that it seems like it's coming from somewhere else, somewhere I can't control…Like it's me but it isn't. So…real insanity, or just another case of me being weird?_

"Well let's see, I died once, we nearly got killed fighting a sorceress that was thousands of years old, you got sucked into another dimension…I don't think it could possibly surprise me."

_Touché, Dorin._

Vira sighed. He wouldn't leave until he heard whatever explanation she had, crazy or not. That was one thing she'd always known about him. So better to be out with it now rather than later. "Fine…Lately I've seen things. Things I probably shouldn't be able to see."

"What kinds of things?"

"People…only two, actually."

Dorin paused. "And one of them was me?"

Vira nodded. "Yeah. It happened a lot yesterday. There was this…big…thing with this old lady, she got this entire bunch of people against me, and…well, I saw some stuff then. Then later at the bar…for a little while… it did stop."

"After you started drinking," Dorin finished.

Vira nodded again. "Yeah, it stopped as soon as I started. It would've worked if… if I hadn't been jumped on the way back to the hotel." She leaned her head back and let out a long breath. "Maaan…I think I'm beginning to remember it now." 

The events of the night before began to flood her mind, as if the door they were behind had broken open and were spilling into her consciousness. Everything from wandering into the street, to Seifer's attack, and that whole big sense of their lack of faith in her, to finally wandering into the hotel, feeling sick and collapsing in front of Dorin. Although the memories and feelings came back, it was still clouded in a haze, like the focus on her memory needed to be cleaned for that time period. In truth, Vira was probably now more upset that Squall and the others thought she'd been Xana, than she had when Dorin had relayed the story. The true feelings she'd felt that night had resurfaced and played at the heartstrings Vira had desperately tried to not have for years. It was a conflict. She wasn't sure exactly how she felt. It was a sickening half and half. That desperate happiness that she finally saw her friends again, but the small sense of betrayal that they could mistake her for her mother, whom she'd been trying not to be like, and then attack her for it. One moment happiness, one moment anger, a constant battle between the two left an aftertaste of confusion. Why did every time they were in her life nothing made sense?

"I definitely remember now, though seeing it in my mind is fuzzy," she said.

"Probably some sort of temporary amnesia from the alcohol," noted Dorin.

"Yeah…" Vira shook her head. "Well, it's not like I'm not used to seeing things. I mean, I used to see stuff a lot right after I first met Xana. I shoulda known not to get comfortable…" Vira paused for a moment then added with a softer tone of voice, "I remember that you were at the hotel when I came back. What were you doing there?"

"I had come to see you," Dorin replied. "I was at the theater and I saw you on the news."

Vira arched an eyebrow. "I was on the news?"

Dorin nodded. "Apparently one of their camera crews caught you in the middle of casting that Stop spell on the mob. Of course they made it out like you had attacked them…"

"That's nice," Vira replied, sarcastic. "I was pretty close to losing it so they should be glad that they were just frozen for a little while and not dead. I didn't really know I had that spell…" She frowned. "Great, I'm going to have to lie low even more now."

"I don't think anyone will give you trouble if you're traveling with Lady Yuna."

"She's been trying not to attract too much attention to herself as well. Things are a bit unbalanced with Spira's religion these days," said Vira. She rolled her eyes. "And this was supposed to be the world a bit more tolerant to sorceresses…" She paused again. "Anyway, you were looking for me at the hotel, right? Why?"

"I…" Dorin started before he trailed off. He thought for a moment. "I wanted to see you again. To see if it really was you," he answered quietly.

Vira smiled nervously, finally trying to look at him. Even if she couldn't stare him in the eye, there was always that place inbetween the eyes someone could look at and the other person would think they were looking them in the eye. It was a trick they'd taught all the cadets in Galbadia Garden's 'Client Relations' classes. Vira was amazed she remembered it, considering how much she'd hated it. It dealt with people. Why would she? At least it was being put to good use now, though Dorin was a far cry from a client and she was now not much of a SeeD. "And I ruin the great reunion moment for you by passing out, huh? Sorry."

Dorin gave a wry smile. "It's alright. After describing what you've been seeing, I'd probably have done the same thing."

"Somehow, I doubt it," said Vira. "But, I guess the upshot for you is that I'm me and not Xana…What were you gonna say? 'I saw you on the news and thought I'd just drop by?'"

Dorin smirked. "Would you believe I actually had no idea?"

"Not really. It always seemed like you knew what you were gonna say beforehand," said Vira. There was that feeling that she was forgetting to say something. It's a feeling everyone gets in the middle of a conversation. There's something you really want to say to the person you're talking to, you're so damn eager to let them in on this tidbit of information as if you're life depended on it, but in all the talking from both sides, the subject changes, you forget, but it's still in the back of your mind. It's still there, though. Waiting for the time to come out, when the subject goes back to what it was relevant to, or you just can't wait and you blurt it out and say it. For Vira, it was the nightmare. Not that she wanted to tell Dorin, but it had the same sense of urgency…had being the key word. In the few minutes since she'd started talking to him again, one on one, that pressing feeling about the nightmare was beginning to vanish. For some reason, Vira was feeling lighter. There was a sense of excitement she felt that wasn't explainable in any way. Any way that she knew. The nightmare could take a hike. She hadn't had it in a night. It might not come back at all. All Vira knew was that she didn't want to blow a chance to at least be friends with Dorin, now that she was talking to him again. Her problems would have to just sit tight and deal with it. "Since we're gonna be on this boat for a while, you can take your time and think of something to say. Start over." She smirked. "It beats what I did earlier."

Dorin chuckled. "Alright then. I know vaguely what happened on the Siren when you went through. Xana opened the portal before she died, Kravis wounded you and went through, and then you followed. What happened after that?"

Vira frowned slightly. Recounting the first experiences she had in Spira weren't pleasant ones, but it needed to be said. A warm breeze swept across them, blowing her hair back. She tucked a golden strand of her hair behind her ear. "I resurfaced in a grotto somewhere up north. I wasn't doing too well, bleeding from…" Vira paused to mentally count. "…at least two different places, so I ended up staggering around this weird bunch of underground tunnels connected to the grotto until I sorta passed out from fatigue. By the time I woke up, I was already surrounded by these annoying Yevon guys. They took my kamagunblades and wouldn't give them back and arrested me for possession of machina. I spent the next…year, I guess, sitting in one of their cells with Yuna's boyfriend, Tidus."

Dorin was astonished. "A year?!"

Vira nodded. "Yeah. For some reason, I always felt sick when I was there too, so the year didn't exactly fly by. Tidus's friend Auron finally came and broke us out. I still want to look into why we were both there for so long. Machina possession seemed like such a minor infraction."

"Seems to be a common crime, if that's the case," Dorin commented. "We saw a lot of machinery when we came through."

"Well, this was two years ago. Yevon was in the process of being dismantled. They still held up the rules then. What bugged me is why they never had an intention of letting us go. Had a hell of a time getting out." Vira paused. That was always on her mind. The imprisonment was so damn suspicious to her. As much as she wanted to say her main goal had been to find Kravis and drag his sorry ass back to their world, finding out why she and Tidus were imprisoned for such a long time was something she wanted to actively pursue more. "Then we spent the next eight months trying to find our way back to the more main lands of Spira because Auron didn't come back from the Farplane with a freakin map. I don't have a ton of faith in the Fayth when they send people back without a map."

"We heard of the Farplane," Dorin replied. "Some sort of underworld from the sound of it. But this Auron came back from the dead?"

"Yeah," said Vira. "Auron, from what I've heard, has been dead for…twelve years now. He was in the pilgrimage with Yuna's father, and Tidus's father, and then he was in Yuna's pilgrimage two years ago. Tidus said that they sent him to the Farplane. Auron told us that although the Fayth went the Farplane too, they had enough power to send him back to protect Spira from some evil we haven't seen at all in the past year. Well…we did kinda get separated two months ago in a landslide. I've been looking for them since."

"And so Yuna and Rikku are on their way back because they will most likely be there," concluded Dorin.

Vira nodded. "Yeah. I figured they'd either be here, or Besaid. Tidus wanted to see Yuna. That's where we were heading. I just didn't know which island they were coming from. Some are closer to Luca than Besaid. I'm sure Auron's still on his kick about 'evil' and 'promise to someone.' He doesn't talk much, but when he does, it's usually a bit dramatic. He keeps saying it's 'all connected.' But, now that you guys are here, I can hand over the torch of looking for Kravis and concentrate on the whole icky prison thing instead."

"So, another brooding, silent male—"

"With a big sword," Vira added.

"—With a big sword. Just what we need."

Vira chuckled. "He's okay. He's a great fighter, and really into doing the right thing. Occasionally, he'll actually make a joke that'll send Tidus into a long speech about how rare it is." She paused. "…Though, I'm still tempted to find Kravis and hit him at least once for sucker-slashing me and giving me yet another scar I can't get rid of. Decisions, decisions…"

"Violence never solves anything, you know," Dorin said.

"But it makes ya feel better."

"That too."

"So, wandering coupled with helping people as I came across them is what I've been up to lately. What about you? Been doing anything interesting in the past two years?" asked Vira.

Dorin stretched. "Not really. Nothing more than what we already talked about. Though Odine overstretched his authority again. It's a damned wonder why Loire keeps him around."

Vira smirked. "C'mon, Dorin. He keeps him around because even though he's heartless, he's pretty goddam smart. Think of how much damage he would do if no one reigned him in."

Dorin shuddered. "Too true. Though I don't think Ellone will ever be comfortable with him. Neither would I if I were her."

"No. He's real smart when it comes to science, but not when it comes to people. She should avoid him if she can make a habit of it," said Vira.

"I know. Oh, and are you ready for a shocker?"

"Oh, hit me, man. If I get it all at once, it's not so bad," said Vira, smiling slightly.

"Well, Laguna Loire, Estharian president and master klutz, is Squall Leonhart's father." Dorin silently counted down to the inevitable outburst. _3…2…1…_

2. Tell the Truth, Feel the Consequences

  
So if you learned something strange about a friend of yours, and they weren't thinking too highly of you at the time, would you still tell them? Tell the truth, and you can run the risk of having them totally ignoring you for the rest of your life. Was honesty worth that? Or would it be better to wait until you were on better terms with them? Whatever choice you made, it all seemed screwed up royally. Another case of damned if you do, damned if you don't.

In fact, this damning situation was one that Squall had been debating since Vira had joined his list of 'living friends.' Laguna had given him the strange ball (which Squall found strangely to be a blitzball when they arrived in Luca), a strange object that looked like a paperweight (what Squall learned was a sphere…which only puzzled him more), Joril Eronwil's journal, and all the paperwork from the will. Of course, Squall had left all the paperwork on his desk back in his office. It hadn't seemed important when he was leaving. The sphere and journal? Those he had absently tossed into his bag on a whim, the passing thought that he'd be able to read the journal sometime during the journey. They wouldn't be walking and fighting all the time, right? No way. So, Squall had found the time to read Joril Eronwil's journal, and had been confused greatly by it. Except for a few things he learned and knew for sure; Joril had been a nice man who didn't deserve what happened to him, he had been a good friend of Squall's mother Raine, and liked to invent some very weird weapons and gadgets. He was sure that Vira would be able to make better use of her father's things. Why the hell shouldn't they be returned to the rightful owner now that he knew she was alive?

Maybe because he'd called the order to attack her and mistook her for the bitch that took so much away from everyone, including Joril Eronwil's future. Squall walked up the stairs to the deck, smelling the salty air before he'd even reached it. Yeah, that one mistake might be the reason why he didn't feel right about dumping all this on Vira now.

But if not now, when? What if things got more complicated? More dangerous? Would he have time to tell her about her father in the middle of a battle? Riot? Hyne forbid, war? Things were peaceful for the time being. Despite what happened the night before.

Squall stepped into the bright sunshine and shielded his eyes. He had yet to see a bad day in Spira. Everyday had been beautiful and clear, with the exception of walking down Mushroom Rock Road. Everything felt so wide, open, happy and clear. The type of days you jump out of bed to greet. You jump up and down and feel excited with the promise of whatever the day might hold. Sun shines golden and sweet, so sweet you could stay outside the whole time and chase it until it dipped into the horizon. Warm and gentle, and bright. Above the boat were marshmallow white clouds, hanging in a cradle of powder blue sky. What a damn beautiful day.

And maybe not the best time to tell Vira about her father, but it was the only time Squall could think of. Forewarned is forearmed.

  
3. Friends Again

  
Vira blinked once. Then again. A moment later, she started snickering that turned into flat out laughing only a second later. And she kept laughing for another minute, though she tried to stop. It was such an obvious fact, though it was a shock. Anyone would've been able to figure it out if they stopped for a moment to think about it. But the actuality of it…it was just hilarious. Made a killer of a joke. "President Loire?…Squall's…father?! Oh…that's the best laugh I've…had in a long time," she said through fits of laughter.

Dorin laughed. Well, it was one of three reactions he'd been expecting. "I kid you not. And Squall was rather less than pleased to learn this, I might add."

Vira shrugged. "Yeah, I guess he'd be like that. Especially since Loire's a pretty clumsy guy in the first place. All Squall had to do is put it in perspective. Loire's a nice guy, and runs Esthar. Compare that to some other people and he's got it alright. But, it's always a shock to find out that sort of stuff."

Dorin nodded. "Yes. I think the issue was not being there as a child. And he's a bit testy on the matter still, so it's best just to sidestep it unless he brings it up."

"I've been sidestepping everyone since I met them again, so sidestepping the Loire is his father issue shouldn't be difficult at all. But, I can understand what he feels. You find out the guy has been alive the whole time and didn't even know you were? That has to be a bit harsh. But, I do remember hearing about all the stuff Loire went through, so you can't just write him off as a dead beat. And he's still alive, and told Squall about it. After the initial anger, he should get over it and be glad that his father isn't a homicidal maniac bent on world domination," said Vira. She snickered again. "Laguna Loire Squall's father…"

Dorin nodded. "Indeed, that's a good way to put it in perspective."

"It's always easier to put someone else's problems in perspective, though," Vira said.

Dorin nodded in agreement. At that moment, Squall walked up on deck and saw Vira and Dorin sitting there. His expression was a bit nervous, although Vira could've been reading him completely wrong. Squall had never been known as an emotional guy. "Hey Vira? Could I talk to you for a second below deck?"

Vira threw a glance at Dorin, as if he might've known what it was about. He didn't look like he did, so Vira looked back at Squall and nodded. "Sure." She stood up and turned back to Dorin for a second. "Guess we'll talk more later."

Dorin smiled. "I look forward to it."

Vira smirked. So the friendship thing was going well. He still had that talent of making her feel like she could either say something really interesting or incredibly stupid. A little feeling inside Vira's stomach flipped, and damn did that suck. Dorin had that talent. It would throw Vira off guard. Friendship thing was going very well. But, it'd work even better if she could turn the damn flipping in her stomach. Why the hell would it keep doing that? She'd already made her mind up.

She turned back to Squall and followed him down below the deck.

  
4. Dreams Blurring Lines Of Reality

  
The two climbed down the staircase and past O'aka, trying to sell Zell some sort of knick knack, and to the quarters where everyone slept. 

"What is it?" she asked along the way.

Squall didn't reply.

"Squall?"

"Sorry, I'm just not quite sure what to say. There's a lot of stuff that I'd like to tell you. About how we really screwed up, and I'd like to take full responsibility for it," he said.

Vira ran her hand through her hair, her bangs falling into her face as it did. She crinkled her nose at them and tried to brush them away. "I don't know what to think about it, Squall. It's shitty work, to say the least. But…"

"What?"

"I don't know. A lot of me is pretty damn angry at how you guys bungled up like you did. It's possible I'm overreacting."

Squall thought about it for a moment. There was so much he wanted to say. It was amazing how little time had passed before he had been talking about her at her memorial until she was standing right beside him in the boat, in a world he'd never been to before. Baffling, to say the least. He remembered how much he had wished she'd been around, and how odd it had been to feel like that. All of his friends, he'd come to appreciate. Despite his stony exterior, he did care about all of them. Even Seifer in his own twisted way. That was another story. Vira…they had had some connection from the beginning. They had been so much alike. And in such a short time, he had felt that they were friends. If things had been different, maybe they would've been better friends. The guilt he'd had over her death was gone, but now replaced with the guilt of messing up. He wanted to tell her that although they hadn't known each other for very long, he did count her as a friend and he had missed her a lot. She had become one of them in such a short time, and the loss was felt by all of them. But why would Vira believe it after they'd attacked her? Squall sighed. There was nothing else for him to tell her than the truth. A lie would only compound his guilt.

"You have a right to how you feel. It makes sense that you'd be angry. God, Vira, you don't know how much during that day I had wished it was you," he replied.

One side of Vira's mouth stretched into a line that made her expression cynical. "Maybe if you had done a better job, you would've realized it."

"Yeah. I know. But I can't change the past. It was better that we stopped it before you really got hurt. It doesn't make up for it. It's just…"

"What?" Vira looked impatient.

Squall frowned a little. "I missed you, okay? I did. It may not seem like it, but it's true. I didn't know you for very long, but you were one of us, whether you'll admit it or not. And there had been times that I wondered what it'd be like if you were still with us. There were just times…I wished you were there to talk to. I hope that you can forgive us," he explained.

It seemed like Vira was contemplating this. Squall was half expecting her just to hit him and walk away. He might've done that if he'd been in her position. A smack and a good-bye and a watch my back as I walk away, it's better than what you did before. But, then again, although alike, Vira wasn't him. She'd think what she wanted, and react however damn way she wanted. She looked thoughtful about it, like perhaps a deal was forming in her head. She nodded. "Okay, I hear you. I'm still feeling out of sorts about all this. Not taking the changes well. After you show me what you want, just tell everyone to leave me alone until we get to Besaid, alright?"

"Will that be enough time?"

"Damn well should be. I won't forget it, but I'll forgive it. But, I have to get it in my head first. And that'll take a little time. Okay?"

Squall nodded. "Okay."

"Now, what is it you want to show me?

"We found some stuff out on your father before we got sent here," he replied. "I never got a chance to unpack, so I have a few things of his that you might want to take a look at."

Vira raised an eyebrow, dubious. "My father? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Laguna…my father…found your father's grave in Winhill, when he was visiting my mother's grave. He decided to look for any records about him in Winhill, and found out he owned a small cabin in the woods outside of town. He said it was pretty run down," Squall explained as he opened the door to his and Rinoa's cabin. The cabins were pretty small, with one round window on the back wall facing out to a blue ocean. Two single beds sat side by side, covered in baby blue sheets that looked thin and airy. Off to the right was a small bathroom for the guests to use, all of it in a light wood finish. Rinoa raised her head from the bed where she lay to see who it was and Vira couldn't help but feel sorry for the sorceress. She looked absolutely green.

"Rin? Feeling any better?" Squall asked with concern.

She shook her head. "Not yet. I can stand Selphie driving the Ragnarok, time compression, going into the future, going out into space, trains, the moving Garden, but one boat and I feel like my insides are turning inside out…"

"Ask Yuna if there's a cure for seasickness that she knows," offered Vira.

"I'll do that as soon as I get done here," Squall replied as he began to shuffle through his rucksack. After a moment, he produced a sphere and a small journal. "Laguna found these in the cabin. I didn't know what the sphere was until we got here, but I've already read through the journal," he said, handing them to Vira. "Your dad…seemed like he liked to invent stuff."

Vira reluctantly held the sphere in one hand and the journal in the other. She gave Squall a half joking, half exasperated look. "You guys mistook me for my mother and nearly ran me through, don't you think you've reached your limit on practical jokes?"

"This is for real, actually. It's…interesting, to say the least."

"Spheres come from Spira. You know that, right?" said Vira, tilting her head to one side.

"Now we do. But I didn't know how to work it before. Still don't," Squall replied.

Vira sighed, her patience wearing thin. She tossed the journal back at Squall, and he caught it before it smacked him in the chest. Vira flipped the sphere over and triggered it. She held it out and made a 'was that so hard' look. "Just press a button. See? No big trick."

Squall frowned. "…Whatever."

From the bed, a feeble laugh came from Rinoa. "And the mighty Leonhart expresses his discontent."

"Traitor," Squall replied.

Vira smirked slightly. "Whatever is an all purpose word," she said. She stared into the sphere, the static finally becoming clear. "Huh…"

A man with blond hair appeared, young, with his blitzball in hand. He looked confused, but still stared into the sphere. "So, I'm totally lost. Really lost. I don't know where I am, but if I don't make it, umm…make good use of my blitzball, okay?" 

He turned off the sphere. Static covered the image for a minute before it cleared up again, revealing the man, now older, and in a house. There was a dark woman behind him, and it could only be Xana.

"Are you still fooling with that ridiculous thing?" she snapped.

He looked back at her. "Aw, c'mon. This is one on of the only things I brought with me. It records our memories."

"So? Who needs to do that?"

"Umm…I do. It'll be fun to someday look back on all the things we've done, all the fun we've had," he said.

"Somehow, I doubt it," Xana said. "Now turn that stupid thing off!"

He sighed. "Alright, alright…" 

More static. Then another image came through, the man now with a baby in his hands. He waved to the sphere. They were in the house from her nightmares two years past. The tall windows, the dark decor. It was their Deling City house. The only house she remembered.

"See, Vira? That thing records things for us so we can see them later. Isn't that neat?" he asked. The baby just giggled and cooed.

Xana came into view, scowling.

"Again, I say it's stupid. Completely stupid, Joril. Now turn that thing off and put it down!"

"Xana…"

"No! I've had enough!" She stormed over to the sphere, knocking it off the table the man had placed it on. Then she left the room as quickly as she'd stormed in. The man bent down to the sphere.

"Well, things aren't going so good now…I hope it didn't break…"

The baby reached for it, but the man held her hand back. 

"No, Vira. You can play with it later. I better see if your mother broke it…" 

There was more static. Another picture came through. The man, Joril, her father, and a baby Vira, were in the Winhill cabin. There was a storm outside, lightning and thunder raging and banging on the weak windows and door. Joril looked upset, at a loss, and without hope. He stared at the sphere with tired eyes as baby Vira slept peacefully through the outrageous storm.

"I'm sorry, Vira. I never meant for this to happen. I came here to give you to Feabie, but she's not here. She left to visit some relative in Balamb. I've got nowhere else to go except Deling's orphanage. I hope you can forgive me for this. All this…" He sighed and looked down at the baby. He then looked into the sphere. "There's no doubt I'm dead by the time you see this. You'll probably be older and have a life of your own. I still can't tell you how sorry I am that I have to give you this terrible responsibility. I know what'll end up happening, and what you'll have to face to understand where you came from. It was a match that just wasn't meant to be, but it happened. Don't get me wrong. I'm so happy I got to know you, for what little time I did. But, it's not fair what kind of life I've given you, what kind of world I've brought you into. I just hope that you can forgive me…and her…someday. And that you didn't grow up to be as bad as she was. She tricked me…and herself."

Joril looked up to the ceiling, as if expecting some divine answer from the storm. But there was no answer. He looked back at the sphere. "I'm sorry I never got to go home again…or understand why I was here to begin with. Sometimes we never get answers. All I ever wanted was to just play Blitzball and have a family. After I got here, I never got to play it again…and sure, I had a family, but this one is far from perfect…we're downright dysfunctional. God, I wish I could've helped that little boy…I have so many regrets…Don't you ever have them. Live better than I did. Make better, smarter, decisions than I made. With the responsibility you'll have, you'll have to. Someday…I truly hope you'll understand…and maybe get to see the wonderful city I called home…the lights…like Deling but twice as big, and tall…buildings reaching so high into the sky…if you combined Esthar and Deling, you have something like where I came from…Except for the stadium, that lit up at night, thousands of people cheering for their favorite team…It was beautiful…Maybe I can see it when I'm gone…"

He stood up, walking closer to the sphere, at this distance, Vira could see the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I'm going to miss you, and even her…and home. All I ever really wanted to do was go home…I'm going to leave you in Deling City's Orphanage. May you and the gods forgive me for all this…and help you all from her…"

Still more static. Then nothing. The sphere had ended its recording. 

Vira stared at the sphere. "What the hell…blitzball…?" she whispered harshly.

"So your father…was from Spira?" Squall asked, not quite believing it.

Vira shook her head. "How? I mean…he…and…that doesn't make any sense!"

"Are you gonna be okay Vira?" Rinoa asked quietly.

Vira frowned and nearly tossed the sphere onto the floor. It fell and clanged on the wood floor, rolling a little until it fell onto its flat side. Vira briefly glanced at Rinoa, who was still green, but looked concerned, and then at Squall, who looked at a loss for words he was so confused by the situation. Vira shrugged and turned to the doorway. "Whatever…"

Squall frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Out, I need to be alone for a while," Vira answered before she left.

Squall looked down at the journal she had handed into, he sighed and turned his gaze to Rinoa.

"Guess I'll give this to her later then…and tell her the rest," he said.

Rinoa raised her eyebrows. "There was more?"

"A little bit, yeah. But it can wait," he replied. "She doesn't wanna hear it right now."

  
5. Contemplation and Questions

  
Rikku had been right. After two years, Yuna was finally only days away from seeing Tidus again and what was she going to say? Hi? How are you? There was so much to tell, so much to catch up on. It was a new lease on life, and a breath of fresh air…but what would Yuna say to him? What could she say that wouldn't sound terrible?

She didn't know. After finishing her discussion with Quistis, Yuna had excused herself up to the top deck to think about this. Underneath the mast, Yuna sat cross-legged, hands holding her head up. Rikku had said to say something nice and sweet. There were a million scenarios running through her mind. Would he be waiting at the dock, or would he be in the village? A sad thought that had crossed her mind quite a few times was what if he wasn't there at all? She'd have to keep looking, and avoiding Wakka's 'you really oughta not be doing this, ya' look and then there'd be more worry. More butterflies in her stomach.

All she knew was that for the past two years, she'd been going through the motions, no emotional involvement in anything. Not the emotions she'd felt with him. Being with Tidus made her feel like she could take on the world, just the two of them. Or all of them together. There was nothing they couldn't face, nothing they couldn't do. Together. He defied the system, took the path never taken, and had changed the world just as much as she had.

What do you say to someone who was that important to Spira, but no one outside of their friends knew about it? Lady Yuna, Lady Rikku, Lady Lulu, Sir Wakka, Sir Kimahri…all of them had become famous for bringing the Eternal Calm. Bringing the beginning of peace—relative peace—to Spira. Wakka's pudgy stomach, Yuna holding her breath, Kilika building its town up, people choosing their own religion. It was all the Eternal Calm.

And all because of him.

_"…I love you…"_

Those words echoed in her mind. The last ones she had spoken to him on the airship. Staring out into the vast unknown…had they been inside the Farplane? 

Wispy golden clouds are around them, and an immeasurable horizon lay before them. She could no longer touch him. Her heart fell all the way down to Spira as she hit the surface of the airship. There is nothing left of Tidus to touch. He is as tangible as the translucent spun gold clouds around them. Yuna felt her future slip through her fingers. Spira may have theirs, but hers was as real and solid as…

Him.

_"…I love you…"_ Yuna whispers, but she knows he hears it. He always heard her.

There was no happy ending, no grand ace up the sleeve that let him stay with her. He was a terrible lair. Yuna knew that. Tidus had lied about the dream of the Fayth. He had kept it from her, kept it from all of them, until it was too late to think of another way. Yu Yevon stood before them, and Tidus proclaimed his fate. His story. His ending.

  
What about Yuna's? His story was ending in front of her, but Yuna's would go on.

Just a little while before, they stood together before Yu Yevon. Auron and Tidus with them. Now Yuna stood at the edge of the airship and the only thing before her is the expansive, and now empty feeling, horizon.

Yuna closes her eyes. She knows the tears are coming, and she wants to do anything to stave them off. If these are to be her last moments with Tidus, then she doesn't want to spend them letting him see her cry. 

Then she feels him. She feels him in a way she never had before. He is touching her, but he isn't. He's all around her. His essence is passing through hers. A moment when they are together, truly together. One final moment when Tidus feels his heart breaking and wraps his arms around her in a futile attempt at comfort. It breaks his heart as much as hers. 

Yuna knows he has put his arms around her. She can feel it in that special way. That way when she knows what he's feeling, and she realizes how hard it is for him too. And for a moment, there is silence. Bittersweet silence the two share in one last embrace.

His emotions flow through her. All his dreams, his ambitions, his goals. They all come flooding through Yuna's mind all at once, in a deafening noise that is oddly quiet. She can feel his heart breaking, knowing what he must do, and how hard it is to not be able to touch her. He has to go. She feels it. And she feels the memories he has had of them together. She can tell the one moment on his mind more than any other is their time in the pond in Macalania Woods. His promises, once real, now illusions. How wonderful and alive it had made them both feel. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Yuna feels that all in an instant.

Then she sees him on the other side, in front of her. Their connection is severed, his feelings and thoughts retreating from her mind and back into his. Yuna backs up, standing with the rest of her dearest friends. Tidus looks at them all and waves as he walks towards the edge.

_No! Please, don't go! We can find a way, like you did for me!_ Yuna's mind pleads in one last struggle with reality.

There is no stopping him now. It is too late. Yuna watches him back up a step or two, sprint and then jump off the edge of the airship, floating into the intangible clouds…becoming one of them…part of them…

And leaving her behind.

_"…I love you…"_

Yuna sighed. No matter how hard she tried, there were no words that came to her. There was nothing she could think of saying. The only thing she could think of was letting her heart speak for her, and just saying whatever came to her mind at that moment. Planning ahead wasn't working, there were too many variables.

Vira stormed up to the upper deck, frowning, pushing her hands in her pockets. She'd been able to evade Selphie on the way up, and everyone else had been too busy engaged in conversation to notice she'd slipped by. Vira stepped off the stairs and stared at nothing in particular as she tried to sort it all out. She sighed in frustration. "Sadistic joke…" she said to herself. That's all it was. Just one sadistic joke being played on her for…what? Being born? It wasn't goddam justified. But it happened anyway. She reasoned that she had to have the worst luck in the entire universe. First sorceress, crazy homicidal bitch for a mother, and a father that…what? Came from another world and couldn't get back to his own?

His descriptions of his home…it sounded just like Tidus when he would tell her about Zanarkand. It was utterly ridiculous. Tidus had lived in the Zanarkand that was just a dream of the Fayth. Sure, he got rewarded with his own life by saving Spira from a perpetual cycle of destruction by Sin, but what about the rest of them? There were others that were dreamt into Zanarkand. They just disappeared when it was all over? Her father couldnt've come from there. It was downright impossibly and utterly ridiculous.

_I mean, how complicated could one person's life be?_

Half sorceress…only one who could kill her crazy mother. She does but gets transported to another world where she's a full sorceress, but spends a year in prison only to spend the next year wandering aimlessly with a former-dream guy and a so-called dead man. Then, she begins having the same nightmare every night, getting bigger and more elaborate, seeing an apparition of her mother that could turn into Dorin, and on top of all that she's attacked by the people she once called her only friends! They believe her homicidal bitch of a mother survived when she was a dead corpse in an ocean somewhere. Vira still wasn't too happy with their mistake. 

Now she wasn't happy with anything. Life sure does suck sometimes. "Goddam sadistic joke…"

Yuna heard Vira storm up the stairs and onto the upper deck, though she hadn't noticed Yuna was there. It looked like there was something upsetting her, which would be putting it lightly with the scowl stretched across her face. Vira was damn scary when in a bad mood, Yuna decided. An intimidating woman. But a woman who was in need of some counsel from someone, and Yuna nominated herself to help.

"What is?" Yuna asked, catching Vira by surprise.

Startled, Vira stared down at Yuna for a moment before she regained her composure and put on an emotionless face. "Nothin."

"Are you feeling well Vira?" Yuna asked with worry in her quiet voice. "Has something happened?"

"A lot of things, all at once if you stop to think about it for a second," Vira replied.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Yuna offered.

Vira frowned. "Not particularly." And although she made her declaration of preferring to be more monosyllabic rather than tell Yuna at length what was wrong, Vira sat down beside Yuna, leaning her head against the mast. She paused. "There are only spheres in Spira, right?"

"I-I believe so," stammered Yuna, confused at the question. "I'm not sure where else they would be."

Vira nodded. "That's what I thought." Another pause. "Luca is the only place in Spira that has a stadium. And until recently, it didn't light up at night, did it?"

"No, not from machina at least. Tidus…would tell me about Zanarkand and the great blitzball stadium that would light up at night there."

"Yeah…he told me about it a lot too. Really tall buildings that lit up at night, and the huge blitzball stadium, with everyone cheering. But…that was all a dream…" muttered Vira.

"No, it really did have one," Yuna replied. "I…we saw it. On my pilgrimage. But…that was a thousand years ago when it was like that," she added softly.

"I know it had one. But Tidus was living it in a dream. He was a dream. The dream of what it was before it had been destroyed." Vira frowned again, messaging her temples with her fingers. "It's just one thing after another now."

"What is?"

Vira sighed. "Well, if you haven't noticed, in the past day and a half more weird stuff has happened to me than in the last two years of prison and mindless wandering." She frowned. "This is just getting complicated."

Yuna sat silent for a moment. "Maybe it is happening for a reason," she said softly. "Perhaps this was all meant to happen this way."

That didn't sit too well with Vira. Her frown deepened and her eyes narrowed. "That just means it really is a sadistic joke. The least they could was throw one big curve ball at me at a time."

Yuna almost smiled at that. "I can remember feeling that way a lot."

Vira grunted. "I didn't handle it well last time."

"But you survived, didn't you?"

Vira nodded. "Barely, but yeah…Look, I just don't really know what to make of a lot of things and it'd probably just be better if I didn't think about it."

Yuna smiled. "Yeah, sometimes over thinking things can make things more confusing. Don't worry so much, though, Vira. Whatever it is, you'll figure it out. And you'll be able to handle it. I can tell."

Vira half chuckled and shook her head. "Thanks, Yuna."

"You're welcome," Yuna replied, smiling. She stretched, stood up, and looked up at the sun's position in the sky. The sun always took its nightly nap late in that part of Spira, but Yuna always knew what time it was by looking at it. Years and years of judging its position had made measuring time easy. "It must be getting close to dinner time," she noted.

Vira followed her gaze and nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. You gonna make everyone eat together?"

"What makes you think that?" asked Yuna, smiling.

Vira chuckled. "Because it seems like something you'd suggest. I'll make sure to be there before Zell and Rikku have an eating contest and all the food's gone."

"Is his appetite that big?" Yuna asked dubiously, trying to visualize a hunger that matched Rikku's. After Tidus, Rikku had the biggest appetite of anyone she knew, especially for a girl her size.

Vira snickered. "Think of Rikku and Tidus's appetites added together and you roughly get how much Zell can eat. I think it must be because he's so energetic. High metabolism or somethin."

Yuna's eyes grew wide. "Oh my."

Vira laughed and grinned. "That's why you gotta get your dinner before they inevitably challenge to who can eat more," she said.

Yuna chuckled. "I'd better warn everyone else."

Vira nodded. "Yeah, most of them already know about Zell's appetite. But it doesn't hurt to be prepared."

"I think I like them," Yuna said, "they seem like good people."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," said Vira, her face falling back into expressionless.

Yuna smiled softly. "Well, I'd better go find Rikku before she gets to dinner before the rest of us. I will see you there," she said, bowing slightly before walking off.

As Yuna walked off, Vira craned her neck to look at the sun's position in the sky once more. "Dream of the Fayth…"

  
6. Foreboding Return

  
Black ash rose in small wisps. Crackling fire leapt into the air, golden and scorching. Screams punctuated the heavy air that stank of burnt flesh and destruction. The fire rose higher, the screams followed. 

And Vira laughed.

"Stop!" a familiar voice shouted.

She turned around and saw Squall there, older and tired. His trademark leather jacket was missing, but his familiar white t-shirt, stained with blood and ripped at the left sleeve, was whipping in the ashy wind. He held his gunblade up in battle position, its blade glistening a hot golden in the fiery light. Vira laughed again. 

"It's beautiful, isn't it, Squall? Don't you love the screams? The feeling of the battle? You're a SeeD; fighting is what you live for," she said.

Squall's mouth stretched into a thin line, his steel blue eyes narrowing on her. "You sound like your mother."

Vira smiled. "So I do."

"You can't do this, I won't let you," Squall said, waving his gunblade for emphasis. 

"Suit yourself." Vira waved her hand. Squall's gunblade vibrated and shook, in a matter of seconds its shaking was so bad that the blade hummed in a metallic sound. The next second the gunblade broke, exploding into a ton of sharp pointed shards that all drove themselves into Squall. He screamed in agony, his own blood stained his shirt, his hands went to his eyes, fruitlessly trying to pull out shards that had lodged themselves in there. He stumbled a few steps and then fell face forward, letting out a final scream as blood spilled onto the ground, and he drove the shards farther into himself when he landed. His body tensed and relaxed, blood oozing slowly from his wounds. Not far from his body was the only thing left of his gunblade; the handle with one of his Griever chains hanging from it.

Time passed. It passed in an instant, as if it was only a moment between Squall's death and the battlefield in front of Vira. But it was different. How long it was, Vira wasn't sure. Fifteen minutes, an hour? It didn't matter. This was the familiar part, it was the horrifying scene that had repeated in her head before. It was what she had hoped would be gone forever.

It was the time when she saw herself handing Dorin his own death sentence at her own hands. There was no surprise when he came forward amidst the chaos, sad and hardened, his blade drawn for battle. Nor was there surprise when he pleaded for her to stop and she didn't listen, or when his sword found its mark in her chest, and she merely pulled it out the other side, melting it into the dark red sky. Once more Dorin looked at a loss, a sense of sadness in his face that could only be compared to the look one would have when the person they loved more than anything else in the rest of the world was dying in front of them. Vira's laughter echoed off her own ears, and it sounded just like Xana's. 

_Stop!_ Vira's mind shouted. _Stop doing this you stupid bitch and let him go! I can't do this! I'm not a monster!_

It made no difference. The outcome was the same again. She grabbed Dorin around the neck, the yellow light spreading across his body, leaving nothing but ash in its place. His eyes gave her a pitiful look. She could feel herself loving every second of it, while the rest of her cried in protest. Ice blue eyes, sadder than the word could ever express, stared straight into her eyes. A part of her felt validated, that the moment of greatest pain that was the biggest payoff. The rest of her stared into Dorin's eyes, aghast at what she had done again.

He whispered something before his face became a charred skull and his eyes burnt out hollows. Then his skull turned into insubstantial dust that floated up to the sky on the pained cries of those dying around her.

_"I can't see your eyes…they're…Xana's…Vira, I'm sorry."_

Vira bolted upright in bed, a thick sheet of cold sweat covering her body and clinging to her hair. Breathing with a panicked tempo, she reached up to her head and ran her fingers through her hair. She took a deep breath in, held it and let it out. Looking around, Vira remembered she was in one of the cabins beneath the ship to Kilika. She looked beside her bed and saw there was another there and remembered that the seasick Rinoa had ended up being her cabin mate, which had surprised Vira since she'd expected Squall to want to do that. But, she supposed the two of them still were afraid to sleep in the same bedroom together. Squall had always been completely devoted to Rinoa, but afraid of his personal space being invaded. It wasn't too hard to see that. Vira could understand that.

Rinoa was sound asleep, apparently with a bad dream all her own as she tossed and turned, occasionally looking a little green in the low light of their room. She murmured something Vira couldn't hear and turned onto her other side, facing away from Vira.

Vira sighed, looking at her hands, examining the scar that lightly ran across her left hand. She had hoped the nightmare would had left, but it was back again, and expanded with a new death she had caused. It was a way to make a terrible situation worse. There was no way she could go back to sleep. Not then. What else could she do? Find that bottle of whiskey she had stowed away in her bag just in case? No, that wasn't a very viable option. Start drinking again so soon, even a nip to sleep, and it could land you in as much trouble than going on a full blown bender. There was no way to tell, and it was still too soon after Vira's last drinking escapades.

An option came to Vira, though it probably wouldn't do her much good. In light cotton pants and sleeveless top, Vira threw back the sheet on her bed and stood up, feeling the cool wooden floor underneath her feet. She needed some air. Good, fresh, ocean night air. Maybe a bit of starring at the stars on the top deck. Count the stars and maybe sleep would come, but in a more peaceful way. Probably not, but it was worth a shot. Vira was willing to take it.

Quietly, Vira exited the room and stepped out into the dark empty hallway, finding her way onto the top deck very fast without running into a single person. She reached the top deck and stood against the railing, taking in deep breaths of the night air, and letting them out slowly. The air was warm for a night on the ocean, and a gentle breeze rustled through her damp hair. It felt good. It made her feel less crazy.

"I'm so disappointed, I can't make myself look like that Draconian anymore," a familiar cold voice said.

Vira cringed and put a hand on her forehead. "Oh hell, not now…"

"Why not? Did I disturb your moment of peace after another round of nightmares? Vira, they'll never go away, just like I won't," the voice said.

Vira turned around and saw Xana, transparent but visible, near the stairs leading down to the main deck. She had that same haughty grin she always had on when she thought she had the upper hand. Appearing in front of Vira just confirmed that upper hand; Vira had assumed that she'd rid herself of the nightmares and Xana. She had no real evidence that she had, but it was a crazy feeling she'd felt. Then the nightmare came back in full force with another round of 'Look Who You Kill' and now Xana decided it was a good time to remind her that, yes, Vira Eronwil was probably cursed from the beginning. "Why don't you go away?" Vira suggested. "Go and do something productive with your afterlife. Go anywhere and do anything but be here with me."

Xana's black lips stretched into a sick smile. "But, Vira, don't you enjoy the quality time we spend together? We're not separate and we never will be."

"Why? Because I'm related to you? Well, who the hell cares?! You're dead and just part of the history text books now, and as far your homeworld is concerned, I'm dead too," Vira snapped. 

Xana glided closer to Vira, shaking her head and making a 'tsk-tsk' sound. "My dear, you just don't understand. And you probably never will. We are connected. I'm here because you are here. You have some lingering questions too, I know. Questions…about your father. Well, sweetie, I can't answer those for you. Let me give you some advice: Why don't you ask the 'legendary guardian' about that one? Get your suspicions confirmed. You'll finally come to the realization that I've been trying to tell you all along…"

Vira scowled, turning back to the wooden railing. "And what is that?" she asked.

"You're a mistake. That's it. You were never meant to be created, and it's another one of those sick jokes the gods like to play. Let's see who we can punish the most, give them the most problems, the most obstacles, and see how long it takes before they crack. You're so damned cursed because you were never meant to be. It's the reason for everything that is happening to you. It's all because you're not supposed to be aliv—"

"SHUT UP!!" Vira growled and slammed her hand on the wooden railing. It cracked and splintered underneath her hand, breaking into sharp jagged pieces. Surprised, Vira looked down at the railing and then at her hand. She sighed.

"Are you alright?"

Vira spun around to see Dorin standing there, looking concerned.

The expression on Vira's face made her look like an animal caught in the headlights of a car. A moment later she stepped in front of the broken section of the railing and nodded quickly. "Fine. Just couldn't sleep. You?"

"Same," he replied. He quirked an eyebrow at her evasive behavior. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Vira nodded again. "Yeah, just have a lot on my mind." She made sure to keep standing in front of the broken railing.

Dorin nodded. "Anything you'd like to talk about?"

Vira almost cringed visibly. She shrugged. "I don't know. None of it makes much sense to me."

"Maybe just talking about it will help," offered Dorin.

"Maybe," Vira replied. She sighed. "I'm just a little bit confused about this sphere Squall gave me."

"A sphere? What was on it?"

Vira didn't respond immediately. She wasn't fully sure she wanted to talk about it, or think about it anymore than she already had. Xana's speech had been enough to disturb her, but the things she said left only more questions and more confusion for her. After a two minutes without saying anything, Vira took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. She had told herself that she wanted to be friends with Dorin again, and that her nightmares and problems could take a hike if they didn't like that. That meant that she would have to tell him things. Maybe not everything, but at least the sphere. He could know about it. "There was a lot on the sphere," she started. "First my father, with a...blitzball...talking to the sphere. Then him and Xana arguing about something...then him, with me as baby and Xana acting like her usual bitchy self. The last part was probably the worst. It was right before he died. He was in this cabin in Winhill, with this huge storm outside. He kept apologizing for how things had turned out, and how he'd wanted to leave me with some woman who hadn't been in Winhill and his only option was to leave me in the Deling City Orphanage. He kept apologizing...he knew he was going to die...and he regretted never being able to see his home again." Vira took another deep breath in. "It seems like he...was from Spira. But the way he made it sound...it sounds like he came from the dream Zanarkand. Him being in Winhill in the first place is damn near impossible, and the thought that he might not've been real in the first place makes it even more impossible!"

Her hands gripped the wooden railing behind her, causing audible cracks under the strength of her hands. Vira didn't seem to notice. She turned around to face the ocean. She frowned. "See? I don't understand it, and I don't like thinking about it. It wasn't fun finding how that I was a half sorceress, half Draconian, half Galbadian freak who was the daughter of the first sorceress who was at least a thousand years old. Thinking that the whole half Galbadian thing is total bull and I'm half Spiran--or worse--half real...it bothers me. And I've got enough to deal with right now."

She heard footsteps behind her and then a hand placed tentatively on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Vira chuckled. "Yeah, everyone is."

A comforting squeeze as he stepped next to her. "What are you going to do about it?"

Vira frowned. "I'm supposed to actively do something about it? Like what, deny it?"

Dorin mentally kicked himself for a bad choice of words. "No. That's not what I meant. I meant will you be fine with it. Because...well, in Esthar..." He trailed off, not wanting to say it.

Vira leaned her head back let out a sound that sounded like a chuckle and an exasperated sigh. "That's funny. I was just thinking about that yesterday."

Dorin nodded. "That's why I'm worried." He paused. "Has Xana shown herself lately?"

"No, I mean I was thinking about being in Esthar, not doing it again. That's why drinking came in..." Vira sighed. "Yeah, I guess Xana's been around."

"What did she do this time?"

Vira kept her hands closed around the broken portion of the railing, staring into the ocean. "Brought up more questions," she said.

"Like what? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he added quickly.

"You're losing your stubbornness," she remarked, smirking slightly. "You used to hound me about everything."

Dorin smirked himself. "What can I say? It's late and I'm tired."

"What're you doing up, anyway?"

"Couldn't get to sleep, so I figured walking around a little bit would help."

"A lot going on, huh?" she said, turning her gaze from the ocean to the starry night.

"A little bit. I guess...just meeting you again, finding out about Spira, the raising of the Siren...I suppose nerves are starting to catch up with me."  
  
A small smile crept over Vira's face. "You wanna talk about it?"

"I suppose," Dorin replied. After a moment, he smiled. "I was ecstatic when I saw you again, you know."

Vira smiled, trying not to be embarrassed. "Ecstatic that I passed out from too much booze and you had to haul my sorry ass to my room? That's weird."

"Well apart from that," Dorin laughed. "But it was good to see you, living and breathing. And in more, slightly colorful, wardrobe."

"Ooooh, right," Vira said, shaking her head. "That was Tidus's idea. He said all black was 'too depressing.'"

"Well, it certainly would have stood out in all the colorful clothing here...or lack there of."

"That's what Tidus's main point was. And he said it was better than being forced to wear pink, so I just went with it. Wasn't really into being pointed out everywhere I went anyway," she said.

"That's true," Dorin replied, before he got a wicked gleam in his eye. "Though, I think you'd look good in pink..."

Vira's eyes widened in horror and she smacked Dorin in the shoulder. "No way! Never."

"Ow!" Dorin laughed, rubbing his shoulder even though he was smiling. "I'm just saying!"

Vira shook her head. "You're crazy. I don't remember you being so nuts."

"I'm mad, you're mad, we're all mad here," he responded.

"Ooooh, clever," she said, smirking. Vira paused for a second. "Did I miss anything important while everyone thought I was dead? Some good movies? Zell eating his weight in hot dogs?"

Dorin laughed. "Well, his weight and a half. But anyway, Quistis is now Mrs. Trepe-Almasy."

Vira raised an eyebrow. "Wow, that's fast."

Dorin nodded. "Happened about six months ago. And Irvine and Selphie are engaged too, and Zell is dating the library girl, Lily."

"Geez..." Vira breathed, putting a hand to her forehead, forgetting about the broken railing. "That's a bit on the mind-blowing side. How was the wedding? I hear all weddings are unbearably boring."

"Not too bad, considering it was Seifer's and Quistis'. Rinoa was maid of honor, Squall of all people was best man, and Selphie of course was in charge of the reception."

Vira laughed out loud for at least a minute, having a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea of Squall being Seifer's best man. She pounded the railing with her hand. "Oh...you gotta be kiddin me. Squall? A best man? People really are all mad."

Dorin smiled. "And he almost refused to be in a tux until Rinoa demanded it of him. He said something about SeeD uniforms and protocol."

Vira snickered. "He was stuck in a bad position. SeeD uniforms suck, and so do all that formalwear," she said.

"Well, Squall was wanting to wear his uniform as supposed to a tux, but like I said, Rinoa put a stop to that."

"Yeah, I bet," Vira said. "She's more stubborn than you are these days, I see."

"I think she's getting impatient waiting for Squall to propose to her. You could tell at the wedding, the way she looked at Quistis a bit enviously."

Vira squinted, raising an eyebrow again. "Geez, it's not like there's a rush. She's only twenty."

Dorin shrugged. "I know, but I guess her reasoning is that they've been together for three years, so she's getting antsy."

"She doesn't seem antsy about that now," Vira replied.

"Leads me to think he's proposed to her," winked Dorin.

Vira nodded. "Well, I'm sure they'll be happy together. It's still weird, though."

"Can't be any weirder than falling into a parallel universe."

She smirked. "Granted. It has been weird."

Dorin nodded and walked over to a crate and sat down. "It's strange. Here, there's all this political intrigue and racial unrest...and yet, it almost seems relaxed here."

Vira turned around and watched Dorin as he sat down. She noticed the broken railing was exposed again, and she quickly stood in front of it. She nodded. "Sure. Up until a mob had it out for me, Spira's landscape was almost like a vacation."

Dorin nodded. "Talking to a few of the natives, they feel like this is the most turbulent period they've ever seen. I hope to Vulkan they never have to experience war."

"They still haven't built their technology enough for war like the Sorceress Wars. But...if things get more heated, there could be some real brutal riots," Vira said.

"I don't think they have the political climate either, though as you say, that could change quickly." Dorin paused. "And you can stop trying to hide the railing, I know it's broken."

Vira's eyes widened for a moment before she grunted, her shoulders sagging as she stepped aside, revealing the broken railing. She rolled her eyes. "How long have you known that?"

"After a few minutes of you acting weird," Dorin said, smirking.

She frowned. "I wasn't acting weird."

"Trying to hide the railing by standing in front of it the whole time?"

"That's not weird. I could just like standing here," Vira replied.

Dorin gave her a knowing glance. "Not when you stand like you're trying to hide something."

Vira's frown deepened. "I thought I was better at hiding stuff than this."

"It's just a bit of railing, don't worry about it," Dorin replied.

Vira looked at the section of broken railing again with a far away look. "Just didn't think I was that strong."  
  
"It was probably a rotten section of it, I wouldn't give it any worry," Dorin said, getting up from his seat and stretching. "I think I might try going to sleep again. Are you going to come in or are you going to stay out a little longer?"

In that moment, her expression became more tired and worried. Vira tried her best to not show it, though. "I'm gonna stay out here for a while longer," she said.

Dorin seemed to pause for a second, then nodded. "Don't stay out too late," he said. "Good night, Vira."

She waved, leaning next to the broken section of railing. "G'night."

When Dorin was out of sight, Vira sighed a long tired sigh and leaned more heavily against the railing. It was possible she was making more out of it than she should've been, but Vira had never been able to just break wood as if it wasn't there before. She'd been strong, sure. Strong enough to break a railing? Yeah. But not as if it wasn't there. That was just a bit out of her range of strength. But if Dorin didn't think it was a big deal...maybe it wasn't. It was possible it was just a rotten section of wood. Very possible.

It wasn't the railing bothering her as much as the nightmare and Xana was. Xana…proclaiming to be giving Vira advice? Since when? Oh, that's right, Vira had fallen into Bizzaro Land where everything is opposite. Except that Vira still saw things she shouldn't, lost sleep over nightmares, and wasn't all that liked. Vira growled at herself. Even in Bizzaro Land she was the same. Xana had brought up valid questions, as much as Vira was loathed to admit it. Auron had always sounded like he knew more than he let on, and that she never understood this 'connection' she had to Sin and Spira. It sucked, but Xana was right; the only person who would even remotely have answers to her questions was Auron.

Vira sighed again, starring up at the night sky. Countless times she'd done that. One memory that stood clear in her mind was gazing up into the sky when Irvine had told her they'd been transferred. God, she'd spent so much time looking into the sky. She never knew what she had been looking for. Perhaps just an escape from how boring everything seemed. Spira's starry nights looked very much like the ones she'd seen back in Galbadia and Balamb. Why did she always stare into the sky? Searching for an answer, maybe, to a question she never asked out loud. At the very least, losing herself in the expansive firmament made things seem less dire, and things would melt away...a little. Vira knew better than to go back to sleep. The nightmare would come again. And the rest of the whiskey bottle she'd only resort to if things got so terrible it was the only option she had left. There were several hours left until the sun rose, but she could make it. She'd be fine.

The next night? Vira didn't know, but she'd deal with it when it came. First, she wanted to get back to Besaid, reunite with Tidus and Auron and get some answers to her questions. It was time for the 'legendary guardian' to be less cryptic and more truthful.

  
Author's Notes: Yes, I know how long it's been since a new chapter has reared its head. I apologize. I've been really busy with various things. But no excuse will be good enough. Anyway, next chapter will see the reunion of Yuna and Tidus at long last. Everyone finally meets each other, and a course of action will be taken. And of course, other stuff I'm not telling because it would spoil it. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you? 'Course not. So stay tuned and see what happens. Remember to R&R and we'll see you next time!


	7. Reunion, Part II

Disclaimer: All characters and situations from the games FFVIII and FFX are property of Square Enix. I do not claim ownership of any of them. Characters that were created by the authors of this story (such as Vira Eronwil, Dorin Vachon, Kravis, ect.) are owned by us. At least that's how I think it goes. We do this for fun and not profit. 

  
Chapter 7  
Reunion, Part II

_"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. And I know it's true, that visions are seldom all they seembut if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream." - **Briar Rose, Sleeping Beauty**_

  
1. Whistle Just One More Time

_Bweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!_

Tidus stared over the water, out of breath. He sighed and tried again.

_Bweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!_

No answer. Lulu told him the boat from Kilika would come in that day, and he'd been at the dock since just after breakfast waiting for it. He thought maybe if he whistled, it'd come faster. It was a pretty stupid idea, and he knew it, but he did it anyway. Stupid ideas were things that Tidus was familiar with from time to time, and for him, they usually seemed to work out. To some, fading away might've seemed stupid, but that worked out, didn't it? 

Sometimes Tidus thought he had some spirit of luck with him. No matter how bad things got, he always managed to get through them. 

Then he could manage to wait for this damn boat to arrive.

Tidus sat down at the edge of the dock, dangling his feet off the edge. At first, he stared over the horizon towards Kilika with a nervous impatience. Then he glanced over his shoulder, looking over the rest of the dock. He remembered the dream he had when he first came to Besaid, right after meeting Yuna. 

She stood on the dock with him, asking him if he was going to take her to Zanarkand, or something like that. Then he was jogging, he didn't know why. Rikku came out of nowhere, saying he'd say he'd go with her. Everything turned south from there when his father entered the dream.

He shook his head, knocking the memory of the dream away. The dream was a lifetime ago, and made no sense in the first place. Tidus looked back to the ocean. 

Two yearsHe wanted to know what she had done in those two years. He wanted to know what she'd learned, what she'd seen, everything that she could tell him. Those were two years Tidus missed out on, and maybe having Yuna tell him what she did could make him feel more like he had been there. He had missed her so much, more than he had even thought he would. In those two years, his thoughts always drifted back to her, what she was doing, how he needed to get back to her. Tidus thought maybe because she needed him to be there, but that was a lie. She didn't need him, not for protection. She had so many others for that. But Tidus still felt that he had to get back to her, no matter how long it took. 

Maybe because no girl had ever made him feel as good as she did. Tidus could just be Tidusnot a blitzball star, not a guardian, not the 'new crazy guy from a place that doesn't exist.' When he was just himself, Yuna seemed happy. That was enough for him. 

And dammit, that boat had to be late. Tidus stood up again and kicked at the worn wooden dock in frustration. How much longer would he have to endure thinking about all this? He was better in action than in thought, never much for being philosophical, and all this inaction was driving him nuts. 

He was going to whistle one more time and then head back to town. She'd come there after the boat got the island anyway, so he wouldn't miss her. Yuna would eventually come.

But he would whistle one more time, just to see what would happen. Tidus put his fingers to his lips and took a deep breath.

_Bweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!_

Silence. He stood and listened for a moment for something-anything-that could be thought of as a reply. He scoured the horizon for a boat, squinting his eyes against the bright sunshine.

There was something. He caught sight of a tiny dot on the horizon, one that he hadn't seen before. Then-

_Bweeeeeeeeeeet!_

Short and sweet, but it was clear as a cloudless sky. He heard the whistle and knew that it was herand she had heard him.

"Alright!" he shouted out loud. The excitement was almost overwhelming, Tidus wanted to jump in the air, pump his fists and shout until he became hoarse. But he had more self control than that.

Tidus stood at the edge of the dock, watching the boat become a larger dot on the horizon. He didn't need to whistle anymore, all he had to do was wait a little longer. 

  
2. Dreamer

Yuna looked out over the deck as the boat drew closer to Besaid. Selphie was standing next to her, almost falling out of the boat, if Irvine hadn't been holding onto the back of her dress.

"Look! An island!" she cried. "Is that Besaid?"

Yuna nodded.

"Awesome!" Selphie grinned. "I love little islands."

Irvine laughed and caused Selphie to be jerked back and forth over the boat. Her eyes widened. "Hey, Irvy, knock it off or I'm gonna fall in!"

"Sefie, you love practically everything," he said, gaining control of himself.

Selphie frowned a little, pushing herself back onto the boat, Irvine letting go of her dress. "Not everything. Sometimes I don't like your attitude." She stuck her tongue out at him and laughed slightly, then walked off. Irvine shook his head and followed her. Yuna smiled and looked back at Besaid, getting larger by the minute.

She had heard the whistle, sounding more beautiful to her ears than any song she'd ever heard. It took her a minute to understand it again, not quite believing that she heard it. She had looked around, and when she noticed that other people heard it too, her heart began to swell. Feverishly, she had whistled back, to let him know she heard him. She almost couldn't believe it. 

He was real, truly real, and waiting for her. She could hear his whistle and very soon, she would be with him again. Just like old times

No, not like old times. Everything was different. She herself had grown so much in the time that had passed. Yuna knew that. She took more chances, tried to be more open, tried to take the path she hadn't known existed before.

Of course, she had felt that she was just going through the motions, especially in the beginning. She could have fun, could be pleasant and smile, and sometimes even felt like she was enjoying herself. Those were rare occasions when she hadn't been thinking of someone else's problem. And still, there had been something missing. There was always the fall afterwards, the sinking feeling knowing that he wasn't there. After any fun she had there was nothing. The people would leave, the activity would end, and Yuna would be alone. Alone with that feeling that made her feel like she was sinking in quicksand, or drowning. Always that emptiness, always that feeling that something was missing.

That he was missing. But he wouldn't be anymore.

The thought of that made Yuna's heart beat a little faster, made her feel a little lighter, and gave her an excitement she hadn't felt in so long she couldn't remember when it was she had felt it last. There would be no doubts, no wondering, no guessing.

Yuna loved him. And Tidus had traveled all that way, back from the Farplane, to see her. He had to love her. 

She grinned. 

"Aw, c'mon, man, I sure as hell don't need that!"

Yuna looked over her shoulder to see Zell coming up from below deck, followed by O'aka, holding a bangle in his hand.

"But this one wards against any fiend! You'll never run into one while wearing this!" O'aka said. 

Zell shook his head. "No way, pal. I ain't wearing a bracelet!"

O'aka looked a little desperate, he shoved the bangle under Zell's nose. "This is a quality accessory, though. A bangle, not a bracelet! You can't find a better one! Please, kid, I've run into a little bad luck with some Al Bhed and need some gil. Help O'aka out a little, would ye?"

Zell balked. "Dude, I bought twenty potions, five phoenix downs, ten antidotes, a piece of armor I'll never use, and a chocobo feather from you. But women's jewelry is where I draw the line!"

  
3. Everything I Have Missed

The boat pulled up to the dock, the crew of the ship going about their regular procedure. There was a splash of water and the anchor had been dropped. A man threw a large rope onto the dock, while others got out the plank. It clacked down onto the dock with a wooden noise, and one man ran down onto the dock to tie the boat off. Tidus watched the series of events with minor interest, and was wishing they would hurry up. The quicker they got done, the quicker he'd get to see-

Yuna.

She was standing at the edge of the plank, staring at Tidus with disbelieving eyes. Her hair was a little shorter than he remembered, but was still beautiful in the sunshine. She was wearing a flowing dark blue skirt that went down to her knees. It was swaying gently in the breeze. Her shirt was a simple long sleeved white one that flowed like her skirt. Her summoner garb was gone, an outfit Tidus had always thought made her look pretty, but he thought she'd never looked better. This was Yuna as she was meant to be, a teenager, young and beautiful, without death looming over her head. Her summoner's outfit was gone, and with it that which it represented. Now she was free, and there was this sense of inner peace he had never seen in her. 

For another moment, the two stared at each other, motionless. Tidus wanted to run up to her but he was cut off. Yuna closed the distance between them in a few running strides and jumped at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. He was completely caught off guard. Tidus blinked a few times looking down at her before returning the embrace.

She ran her hands across his back and heaved a deep sigh. "You're real" she whispered.

"Ithink so," he replied, stroking her hair gently. "I feel real"

Yuna squeezed him tighter. "I've missed you so much." 

"I've missed you too, Yuna."

They stood silent for a moment, just holding each other in a moment of reflection. He was real. He was alive. And the two of them were together againfinally.

"Tidus!"

He looked up and saw Rikku standing at the edge of the plank, standing next to her was Vira, and several other people he had never seen before. Rikku didn't look much older than the last time he saw her, although her hair was certainly longer. She still had the same energy, and was jumping up and down, waving to him. 

"See, Yunie? I told you we'd find him!" she yelled.

Yuna laughed. She let their embrace go, but kept one hand intertwined with his. This simple action made Tidus happier than he could express in words. 

Rikku ran down the plank and gave Tidus a quick punch in the shoulder. 

"Hey!"

"Welcome back! Let's go celebrate!" she said.

One of the strangers who had been standing near Rikku ran down the plank onto the dock. Her emerald eyes were shining to match the big grin on her face. "Party! Yes! Rikku, you are awesome! Show me to Besaid!"

Rikku grinned and ran down the dock, the other girl following her. "C'mon, Selphie. I'll introduce you to Wakka and Lulu. They're gonna have a baby!"

"Neat!"

"I swear, those two run on some sort of high that the rest of us never will," said a monotonous voice behind Tidus. 

He looked and saw Vira in front of him. She looked tired as hell, more tired than he had ever seen her, and was back to wearing all black. However, she was wearing a small smile. 

"Good to see you again, you bleach blond jock," she said.

Tidus smiled. "You're as polite as ever. Who are all these people?"

"It's a long story," Vira replied. "Yuna will tell you all about it."

Vira turned and walked down the dock to the beach. A blond man wearing a black uniform followed closely behind her, while the rest of the strangers stuck together. They were an odd looking group. Tidus looked down and saw Yuna was still holding his hand. Turning his gaze up, he saw she was also smiling at him. 

"I saw you in a sphere. With her," she said.

"Yuna-"

She pulled him down the dock to the beach. "I'll tell you on the way."

He smiled again. "Great. Tell me everything, Yuna. I want to know everything I missed."

  
4. I am Intrinsically No Good

By the time everyone reached the town of Besaid, everyone was caught up with everything that had happened so far. Tidus was introduced to Vira's old friends, and immediately hit it off with Zell and Irvine. For some reason, Vira wasn't surprised by that.

Wakka, Lulu and Auron were waiting for them at Wakka and Lulu's hut. Of course, more introductions were in order. After a few minutes, everyone was acquainted with everyone else, and all the names had been learned and exchanged. Rikku immediately called for a celebration, to give thanks for having everyone (almost everyone, given that Kimahri was still up in Mount Gagazet) together. No one was surprised that Selphie seconded the motion, along with Zell and Irvine. It didn't take long for Tidus to jump on the bandwagon, convincing Wakka along with him. 

The next few hours were spent in preparation for a big dinner, and a large bonfire in the middle of town. Tidus met up with the Besaid Aurochs again, and spent a good deal of time explaining the finer points of the game to Zell and Irvine, Wakka interjecting every once in a while as he gathered wood for the bonfire. Seifer listened to their blitzball conversation, mildly interested, but having nothing to add to the conversation. Rikku and Selphie insisted on doing all the cooking, which left Lulu a chance to get to know Rinoa and Quistis, who were both interested in Lulu's former profession as a black mage and a guardian. Squall and Dorin watched everything without getting involved in any conversations, although they both helped gather wood for the bonfire from time to time. Vira and Auron settled for taking everyone's bags into the Crusader's Lodge, which had enough room for everyone to sleep in. Vira knew she had to speak with Auron about what he knew, and watched him out of the corner of her eye for the greater part of the afternoon. She just wasn't sure when was the right time to speak. 

A little before sunset, they all gathered for dinner. They had to hand it to Rikku and Selphie; they were good cooks. Rikku had the knowledge of Spira's foods, and Selphie had some sort of innate ability to cook them. There was more than enough for everyone, and they all ate it gladly. Not much conversation took place during the dinner, most too concerned with their food to talk. However, Selphie managed to talk about the food a few times, with Rikku adding her two gils in as well. 

After dinner, Wakka lit the bonfire in the middle of town, with a little help from Lulu using a fire spell. The entire town (which wasn't a lot of people, considering Besaid was so small) came out to enjoy the fire. Rikku made Wakka talk about the baby for a while, and when it was supposed to come. Everyone started forming their own conversations, no one in the least bit concerned with the future at that moment. It was a night for peace and enjoyment, and no one seemed to want to talk about Kravis, or the growing turmoil between New Yevon and the Young Persons' Alliance.

Vira saw that Auron was alone, as usual, and not engaged in a conversation with anyone. It was as good a time as any to bring it up. She walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Auron," she said.

He turned and looked at her. "Vira."

"Can we talk for a moment, away from everyone else?"

He nodded and walked away from the bright orange glow of the bonfire. Auron kept walking until he reached a small grove where one of Besaid's huts once fell. It was easy from this distance to keep an eye on everyone else, but far enough away to talk. He stopped and looked at Vira.

"Good to see you are alive," he said.

She frowned a little. "That implies you thought I wouldn't be."

"No. It doesn't."

"Whatever."

"I figured you would have some questions for the next time we met," he said.

Vira let out a slight sigh of exasperation. "You knew moreYou always knew more than you said. Auron, I want the truth from you. Not some half truth."

Auron stared at her out of his good eye. "Why do you ask questions that you know the answer to?"

"Because I want to hear it from you, and maybe I don't know the entire answer," she replied, returning his stare. Vira was trying to be calm about this. She knew when it came to revelations about her past, or herself, she had always taken them badly. Killing herself was the epitome of taking it badly. Whatever Auron had to say, she was going to take it in stride. It was time for her to grow up a little. 

Auron cleared his throat. "I made a promise to look after you."

"Promised who?"

"You know."

Vira frowned. "My father. It seems impossible. How would you know him?"

"The Farplane. After your father died, he went to the Farplane. I went to the Farplane. He knew I was being sent back, and asked me to look after you," Auron said. He stated everything as if it were an everyday occurrence. Vira wasn't sure whether she liked it or was annoyed by it. She was sure that she had probably acted that was herself on many occasions. 

"Why would you promise a man you didn't know to look after his daughter?"

"Because Jecht knew him. Joril was a teammate on his blitzball team. Years before Jecht was taken to Spira, Joril took a boat out onto the ocean to practice. He was never seen again. He had been taken by Sin, and through some accident, he ended up in your world instead of Spira. He was one of Jecht's good friends. Jecht is a friend of mine. He wanted me to help Joril."

Vira took in a long breath, held it for a moment, and let it out. "This Zanarkand was the dream of the Fayth."

"Correct."

"Then he was a dream."

"Anyone touched by Sin becomes more than a dream. He became real enough," Auron said.

She paused, looking down at her hands. It reminded her of the Siren crashing, about to be thrown into the dark waves of the ocean. She had stood there, half dying, seeing her hands become immaterial right before her. After Tidus told her what he had gone through, it sounded the same. But she brought herself back. How was any of that possible? "I almost disappeared. My hands started to fade. How can you say he was real enough?"

Auron shrugged. "A small part of you was a dream, enough to confuse your body. I cannot say for sure. Vira, you must know that you defy nearly every rule set by physics."

Despite herself, Vira laughed. "Point taken." She paused. Her voice lowered, not quite a whisper, but not loud enough to be speaking voice. Its tone became almost melancholy. "Am I real?"

Auron regarded her for a moment. Perhaps he was deciding whether to tell her the truth or some half truth again. Or maybe he would go for a full fledged lie again. "As real as Tidus is."

She looked at her hands one more time, then stared back at the bonfire. Everything there looked golden and joyful, compared to their darker, covered meeting place. "Thanks, Auron." Vira turned to walk back to the bonfire.

"There is more on your mind," he stated.

"Nothing that can't wait."

Auron paused. "What about the nightmares?"

Vira halted and stood stock still for a moment. It had always been apparent that Auron knew more than he would say. For a long time it didn't bother her. What he knew was his business and unless she had to know, she wasn't going to ask. Now it seemed that what Auron knew was much more, and neglecting to ask had cost her in some way. Her cool exterior was beginning to slip a little. "And whatdo you know about them?"

"Just that they are not mere nightmares. They are a possible future," he answered.

She turned back at him and frowned. "Possible? You mean there are more?"

"There are many possibilities. Our actions dictate which outcome becomes real."

There was silence. Auron stared back at the bonfire. They could both hear Zell and Irvine singing some song. Vira didn't recognize it, but was sure it had be something stupid. There was a small breeze that ruffled through the trees. She took in a deep breath and could taste the salty air. 

"Auron," she started, "you said when I met you that you came back because something was threatening the peace of Spira. You led me to believe it was Kravis, and that made sense." As she continued her voice turned more accusatory and angry. "But, you said it also had something to do with Sin. What I want to know is what the hell do you know that you haven't said? It's not just Kravis, it's not just some vague connection to Sinthis is something elseisn't it?"

Auron's demeanor did not change under Vira's accusatory stare or tone. He had always been that way. No matter how outrageous Tidus had gotten with them, lost in the middle of nowhere, Auron was always calm. He was always blunt and to the point. But his honesty seemed to depend on what he thought someone needed to know at the moment. He returned her stare, although his remained collected. "There are two futures that are most probable. I was shown glimpses of one that has the man Kravis being involved, along with someone or something that had been connected to Sin. The other has to do with you going mad and murdering everyone."

She closed her eyes and grimaced. Silence returned as Vira took in a few more deep breaths. There was always that risk for women who had become sorceresses. Rinoa had the risk. In the history of the worldthe world where Vira had thought she came from, anywaymost women with the gift became made. AdelThey had all been given the gift of sorcery and all had lost their sane minds. Whether they had been stable to begin with was a question no one could really answer. Rinoa knew well what it meant, and no matter how happy she could end up, there would always be that sword dangling over her head. Rinoa was a sorceress. That was just the way it was. 

Auron broke the silence. "From what you said, madness was common among sorceresses."

Vira opened her eyes and looked at him. For an instant, she was going to snap back at him, she had even considered yelling but that thought was most fleeting. Her eyes narrowed to give him something back, because that was always how Vira had taken it. They give you bad news, you give them a biting comment back. However, just before she spoke, Vira's face softened. Auron saw something in her eyes change, something small. Her shoulders fell. 

It was realization. This wasn't something outrageous, it wasn't something that had never been heard of before. Vira just had never acknowledged the true concept of what had happened when she killed Xana. She had to take her powers, she had to accept them, and in turn, she had to become a sorceress. Vira wondered if this had been what Rinoa and Edea had felt like. The reality of who she had become after the Siren's crash hadn't hit her until that moment, and made the last two years feel like pretending. She had pretended to just be after Kravis, she had pretended she understood she was a sorceress, she pretended that it would never touch her and that someday she could go home. It was all a livable lie. 

"These powerswere poisoned from the get go," she finally said. "That's what it is. None of it is right, and that's why this is happening."

Auron grunted. "I don't know about sorceresses or their powers. That is your world."

"I won't tell the others."

"That is your decision."

Vira stared at Auron, then looked back at the bonfire. Her eyes caught the dull gleam of Auron's massive sword, left where he had been sitting. She looked back at him. "Wouldn't it be better if you stopped it before it happenedbefore anyone was killed?"

Auron gave her a serious stare. "You would ask me to kill you now, and I would say no. It is not set in stone that this will happen, and you must have faith that it won't."

She seemed to consider this statement. Vira knew she had never been one for faith, not one to believe in the happy ending for real or that something would work out for the best. Of course, she also knew how smart it really was to try to kill yourself, or have someone else do it. What she had just suggested was beginning to make her feel stupid. She sighed and turned away from the legendary guardian, back to the bonfire.

"But I will try to make sure that it does not happen," Auron said as she began to walk away. "That is what I promised, and I intend to keep it. However," he paused, "if that possible future should come to pass, I will do what you ask before you harm anyone you care for."

Vira looked back at him, giving him a small sad smile. "Thank you. In the end, I am glad to see you again."

Auron watched her return to the light of the bonfire. She sat a little ways from everyone else, just enough to make her isolated. A man in black with short blond hair rose from his seat and sat down next to her. Auron assumed this man was Dorin Vachon. She had spoken of him often, and most of the time in a fond manner. Auron sighed. It had never been easy to keep his promise to Jecht with Tidus. He had spent so many years watching over him and helping him, and Tidus being the way he was, could be as annoying as hell. Keeping his promises were not easy.

And now he had made another, to look after another, who had more in common with Tidus than she would like to admit. Auron's first promise had been a long and arduous journey. 

He hoped his second promise would not quite as long or challenging. Somehow, he doubted it.

  
5. What is Coming

After several hours of talking and singing (provided mostly by Zell and Irvine, although Selphie, Rikku and the Besaid Aurochs had thrown in their own songs) the bonfire had toned itself down. It was no longer a roaring flame that reached to the heavens, but more of a large campfire. People began to turn in to get ready for the next day. Wakka and Lulu turned in, as did the Aurochs, those in the town who had showed up, Zell and Rikku. Over time more people decided that it was time to go to sleep, and headed to their huts or the Crusader's Lodge. 

Squall, however, still sat by the fire, one arm wrapped around Rinoa. She had fallen asleep, he could tell by her breathing and heartbeat, which he could feel through his jacket. Squall knew that he should get up and take Rinoa to bed, but the hypnotic dance of the bonfire kept him from turning his thoughts into actions. Rinoa seemed comfortable enough, as was he, and staring into the fire gave him a moment of thought. 

Everything was so different than he had imagined. Squall remembered staring at Feabie wearing her blood clot of a dress and thinking how unfair it was that he had to accept Vira's inheritance. Although in truth it had only been a little while since that event had taken place it now felt like an eternity to Squall. His life as commander, his view of the world, hell, even his knowledge of who was alive and wasn't had been drastically changed in such a short time.

For an instant, he glanced over to Vira, who was sitting a bit farther away from the fire. She was alone now, although Squall knew Dorin had been sitting next to her for a while. She glanced back at him, and in that moment he knew for sure that the mistakes that they had made, the mistaken identity, that was all over. She had forgiven him, all of them, and now they had to move on. 

Squall himself wasn't sure how to move on. He stared back at the fire, watching the flames lick at the sky, hungry for the air around them. Coming to Spiraalmost discovering it for their worldthat was something he didn't know how to move on from. Not everyone would take the idea of a sister planet easilyon either side. Would it be kept a secret? Would they be the only ones who knew? Would that mean that he'd have to guard the knowledge so no one else would find Spira? That idea did not appeal to Squall. There was enough responsibility he had to uphold in the first place, much more than he ever wanted, and this added would tip the scales. He wouldn't be able to take all of it and do it. He didn't care what Cid said, there was a limit to what he could handle. They made him leader, he didn't want it, but took it anyway. They made him commander, he didn't want that either, but took it. That was the extent of what Squall Leonhart would take from others. He could lead them, he could command them, but dammit, they could get someone else to handle whatever the hell happened between their world and Spira.

And besides all of what he had waiting for him back home, he also had committed to Rinoa. Squall looked down at her hand and saw the ring shining in the firelight. There was no backing out of it now, no matter how much the idea still scared him. All those things that people have to do to get ready for a weddingand everything he had to deal with before thatThe idea of the reality of getting married still did not appeal to him.

Making Rinoa happy did, though. Maybe she could take care of it all, and let him only deal with a little of it. Yeah, she'd probably like the idea of doing it. She'd get Selphie and they'd have a good time. Girls liked that stuff. Well, at least Rinoa and Selphie did.

Rinoa made a small moan. Squall looked down at her head, stroking her hair with his free hand. This wasn't unusual. Rinoa told him she sometimes had bad dreams, replaying memories of the painful things in her past. Squall knew what that was like; he had nightmares sometimes too. When you had lived lives like they had, a few nightmares were inevitable. Squall was always able to remind himself that's just what they were. Nightmares twisted what was and what might be until it was some horrible present that scared you. When you woke up, that was the end of their hold. They meant nothing more.

It was too bad that Rinoa didn't feel the same way. She believed in omens, signs and Squall guessed that if the right nightmare came along, she'd believe that too. Squall couldn't totally dismiss her belief, though. Rinoa's abilities were something that he couldn't always predict. She was constantly learning more about them, stretching them and bending them, perfecting and discovering what she could do. When she knew enough, she would tell him, but there were always a few things that were beyond his understanding. At times Squall wondered if for sorceresses, dreams weren't just subconscious thoughts being brought forth. That perhaps they were differentthey were a little bit more.

Rinoa moved and Squall knew she had woken up. She mumbled something he couldn't understand.

"Rin?"

She looked up at him, her dark brown eyes wide and clouded with sleep. "Huhn?"

"You fell asleep," he said. "Dreaming?"

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "I guess so."

"Another memory?"

Rinoa shook her head. "Noit was different. I can't quite remember. Justa lot of darkness, anda person doing some bad things-"

"What things?"

"I can't remember. It couldn't have been that bad if I can't remember, though." Rinoa looked at Squall again and smiled. That smile could make him feel like everything was fine, even if it was falling apart around him. "Don't worry about it. It's not like my other dreams."

Squall wrapped his arms around her again, and held her close. "If you say so. But you think that there is something wrong, don't you?"

He couldn't see her face, all he could see once more was the top of her head. However, he knew that she was frowning. "Yes, but I can't tell what. It's too far off. We'll just have to wait and see."

Squall paused. "Maybe you should go to bed now."

"In a minute," she replied, her voice soft. 

They said no more, just stared into the fire. A golden beautiful creature that could also cause great pain. Being burned took only a second, took months to heal, and could leave a scar for a lifetime. Moments in life were very much the same, only the wounds were unseen by the naked eye. The fire hadn't burned anyone yet, but that feeling prevailed that at some point it would.

Author's Notes: I really thought about giving up on this story, working solely on my own work until I kept occasionally getting reviews asking for it to continue, and even an email. It didn't feel right to let these _incredibly_ faithful people not get their ending or closure. So yeah, here we are again. To those of you who kept reading and letting me know what you thought of the story and begging me to continue; thank you so much for your interest and support. This isn't over yet, but with any luck, it will be when the story has been told. See you guys next time.  



End file.
